The Singing Seamstress
by Jaygrl22
Summary: Gwenyth Jones might be a pretty cool cucumber, but there are some things you're just entitled to have a good freak out over. Like, oh I dunno, ENDING UP IN SOME RANDOM WORLD? WHAT THE HECK IS THAT? THIS AIN'T NORMAL! But does she really want to give up this once in a lifetime opportunity for adventure on the open sea? (Luffy/OC?) (Lots of cursing.)
1. It's Been Years

**'Tis super short because I hate first chapters with a burning passion. **

* * *

The waves crashed lightly upon the shore in steady repetition. It was a natural constant that was considered a lullaby by many. To the young woman sitting on the sand, it was also a reminder. Time was running out, and she had already done all she could. She pushed golden locks behind her ears as a humorless chuckle escaped her lips.

It had been years since she had suddenly 'disappeared'. She was there and gone in a bright flash, as her family had put it. That day had been similar the this one, she mused, sunny and bright on a hidden shoreline.

"What happened? Where did you go?" They asked once she had returned. She didn't lie to them _per se_. She simply told them she wasn't quite sure, which was probably the sanest answer she could give. Her family cried for honesty, telling her it would be okay and that everything was fine. That whoever it was couldn't hurt her anymore.

"I'm not quite sure." She would repeat. "But they never hurt me." No one ever believed her. With scars she couldn't explain littered across her body, she couldn't really blame them.

Eventually, with little to no answers, those involved wrote it off as amnesia and left it at that; to which she was very grateful. The last thing she wanted was to end up in the nuthouse with her cousin Hannah. Then there would be even _less_ chance of returning.

In all honesty, Gwenyth _couldn't_ remember the exact details of the actual disappearance, or how she had gotten to that place. If she could, she would have tried to replicate it at least one thousand times by now. However, everything after was practically clear as crystal in her mind. After all, who could forget their time in another world?

She smiled. "...And as a pirate, no less?"

* * *

**I don't think I've ever written a story where I actually ****_like_**** the first chapter... Probably because I'm always so out of practice whenever I start a new story... ****_*deep sigh*_**


	2. What The Hell?

**See? The second chapter is much longer. Isn't that lovely?**

* * *

The light of the sun stung her sea-green eyes. Or, was that perhaps just sand in her eyes? She wasn't sure. Blinking up at the sky, Gwenyth realized something was wrong. She pulled herself into a sitting position, with her head spinning.

"Wh-Where am I? Did I fall asleep at Hipster Cove? Where is everybody?" The teen wondered aloud, trying to take in her surroundings. The small, sandy beach was void of human life, and far too quiet for the girl. Steep hills seemed to trap her from all around. Gwenyth stood uneasily, looking for a way out that didn't require scaling a 40 to 60 foot wall. A modest formation of large, but climbable rocks could be seen just beside the waves. She teetered uneasily towards them.

"This can't be our hideaway. The way out is to the right, not the left." She mumbled, trying to hold her balance. The waves rolled back and forth on the sand, but crashed rather ferociously against the rocks. Gwenyth bent over to untie her shoes.

"And what the fuck was I thinking wearing my fricking high-tops to the beach? Geez. Talk about bad planning there, Gwen." She tied the shoelaces together and hung them around her neck before walking into the knee-deep waves. They pushed and pulled her already wobbly legs as she tread through. She grasped the closest rock as best as she could and pulled herself up. Her wet foot slipped and hiss of pain escaped her lips as her shin hit the jagged edge.

Gwenyth rubbed her, probably bruising, leg before reaching out to the next formation and used it to help herself up. She shifted forward, carefully reaching to the rocks for support and moving her bare feet wherever she could. Always keeping an eye on their placements, as slipping and busting her head open was _not_ on her list of good ideas. This continued until she reached a small, but walkable path. Some large rocks were scattered along the tight walkway, and she had no choice but to climb them, but it was an otherwise easy stroll from there.

"Now what?" Gwenyth whined once she reached, what must have been, the main part of the beach. Straight ahead, the sand stretched out in a curved fashion before turning into the water. There was still no sign of human life.

"That's never a good sign." She murmured under her breath, still not liking the silence. The sand felt good as she walked along the beach, but Gwenyth was getting more and more concerned for her well-being.

There was always _someone_ at the beach, no matter what the weather or time of year. Someone, _anyone,_ even just a few people scattered here and there. Gwenyth had never seen such a desolate shoreline in all her life. The coast was sunny and warm. It felt like one of those days when the waves were calling out to the people. Nothing important going on today? Call in sick, skip school, or whatever. Today is most definitely a beach day; consequences can be dealt with later.

So, where the hell _was_ everybody? Or just _anybody?_

What appeared to be a pathway caught her eye and she headed inland. Once the sand began to turn into dirt and weeds, Gwenyth put her shoes and socks back on.

The path was well worn, and gave her a tiny bit of hope. After all, worn out paths don't get worn out on their own, right? She smiled and might have started to skip if she wasn't so busy trying to figure out where everyone was. Living where she did, a mere thirty minutes or so from the coast, it wasn't uncommon for Gwen and her friends to hitch a ride out to the beach at the last minute. It was usually Hipster Cove, but that wasn't always the case.

"SHIT-FACED-MOTHER-TRUCKER!" Gwenyth screeched as she suddenly tripped and fell. "Owwww~," She whined, before popping up. "What the hell, man?! Why are my legs so weak? And why the heck am I so dizzy? AND WHERE THE FREAKING HELL IS EVERYBODY?!"

Gwenyth cursed in shock as a flock of birds flew from the trees around her.

"F-Fucking birds. Giving me... a heart attack like that." She pushed herself back up, starting to walk once again. Her breath began to shorten and her body swayed more as her vision became less and less steady.

"Just... a little... more..." She huffed. God _damn it!_ What was wrong with her? she wondered. Why did she feel so weak and worn out?

"TIMBER!" A voice called. Gwenyth turned and screamed as a tree began to fall towards her. She successfully jumped out of the way and landed on her face. A jumbled string of curses fell from her lips as the world continued to spin. Now she'd done it.

Gwenyth managed to pull herself onto her forearms, but could barely lift her head. She rolled onto her back, making her all the more woozy, and saw a small group of people standing above her. They seemed to be shouting at her, but all she heard was a gargle of muffled voices before she completely blacked out.

* * *

Her dizzy vision danced across the wooden ceiling, unable to keep steady. That isn't helpful, Gwenyth thought bitterly. Two muddy voices were barely able to break through the fog in her mind.

"-do look alike."

"Doctor... and I both know... impossible... not the same."

"I understand, Katsuya. I truly do. But this girl needs-"

"That's enough. The both of you." A third voice demanded softly. "She seems to be coming around."

Gwenyth blinked once, then twice before she realized the people were looking at her. She sat up carefully, much to the youngest man's displeasure. He was probably in his early forties, wearing tidy clothes and thick-rimmed glasses. The most notable thing about him was his dark, clumpy hair sticking out in several directions.

"Take it easy now," he said, cleaning his glasses. "Not often we find strange girls fainting in our forest."

"Sorry." Gwenyth mumbled. The man laughed trying to smooth out his wild hair. Beside him was an old couple. The man was big, bent, and balding, and covered in all kinds of grease, dirt, and powders. Gwenyth could hardly tell he had an apron on, the pockets filled with all sorts of tools she couldn't name. There was a strong air about him that made Gwenyth feel like a small child in comparison. The woman was quite considerably shorter, which may have been due to her sitting down. Her silver hair was done up in an extravagant bun and her elegant blue dress looked like it came from right out of a granny fashion magazine. That is, if there were such things.

"No, no, it's alright. My name is Dr. Yamata. I'm the medical practitioner of this village." Gwenyth nodded. "And this is Katsuya Yuzuki, the local inventor, and his wife Maaya, our famous seamstress."

"Don't give her all the fame and glory! Who do ya think does all the grunt work?" Katsuya shouted at the Doctor, who then flinched.

"Oh, hush, you rapscallion. You'll scare the poor boy." Maaya tut-tutted, patting his arm a few times. The burly man huffed, and Gwenyth fought down a laugh.

"And what're _you_ laughing at?" Katsuya asked catching her silent giggles. "What's yer name kid?"

"I'm Gwenyth. Gwenyth Jones. Nice to meet you." She said putting out a hand that Katsuya shook with more force than necessary.

"Well, Gwenyth Jones," Maaya smiled, "If I'm not mistaken, you're not from around here, are you?"

"Well, that depends. Where's here?" She asked, happy to finally get some answers.

"Toguchi Village, dear, of course." Gwenyth's eyes widened. She had been up and down the state's coast, and never heard of such a place.

"Toe-what-chi?"

"_Toguchi._"

Katsuya scoffed. "You telling me you've lived on Tabi Island all your life and never heard of the main village Toguchi? Gimme a break, kid."

"W-WAIT, _WHAT?!_ _ISLAND!?_ I'M ON AN _ISLAND_ RIGHT NOW?!"

"QUIT YER YAPPING, YER GIVING ME A HEADACHE!"

"SHUT UP OLD MAN, HOW THE HELL AM I SUPPOSED TO REACT!?"

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**'Hipster Cove' is my personal nickname for a little hideaway at the beach I regular. I have no idea if it has an actually name...**

**Still getting back into the swing of writing, but I think it's coming along nicely. :)**


	3. This Is Tabi Island Living

**Iwould just like to apologize to anyone who has ever read anything I've ever written. Like, _ever_. Yesterday, I was mulling over the fact that one of my favorite things to do is confuse the hell out of all the people around me. Then I realized that I like to do the same thing while I'm writing! So if you ever read something of mine that's made you _particularly_ confused, like it might have been done on purpose... it probably was.**

**I apologize for my subconscious. I'm a total bitch on the inside. Like some twisted pixie that enjoys making everyone's life difficult...**

**Anyways... ONWARD!**

* * *

"PICK UP THE PACE, KID, OR I'LL LEAVE YA BEHIND!"

"DON'T LEAVE ME BEHIND, YOU OLD JERK! AND MY NAME'S NOT KID, DAMN IT!" Gwenyth shouted running to catch up as fast as she could without dropping the heavy lumber in her arms. Swearing up a storm as she did so.

"I don't know about yer hometown, but here, we don't consider cursing a sport." Katsuya grumbled once she was closer. He was carrying twice the load on his back and not even breaking a sweat.

"Shut up! I talk how I want!"

"AND YER GRAMMAR EATS HORSE SHIT, YA PEST!"

"LOOK WHO'S TALKING! HOW A JERK LIKE YOU LANDED SOMEONE SO NICE AS GRANNY, I'LL NEVER KNOW!"

"'Cause this jerk's got _the moves~,_" he said with a flirty wink. Gwenyth's face drained of color before she bolted past him screaming bloody murder about 'mental images' and 'the corruption of her virgin ears'.

The townsfolk of the tiny village Unmei shook their heads in amusement. Life on Tabi Island hadn't been quite the same since the strange girl had suddenly appeared. News traveled fast on the small island of less than two thousand people, as did the gossip.

Some said she was simply a girl who had washed ashore out of the blue, as she was not the first to do so. Others thought her to be a goddess- a belief fueled by a large, bright light which several hundred people claimed to have seen the day she appeared. Gwenyth was neither able to confirm or deny how she had gotten to the island, as she didn't know herself, but assured them all that she was no goddess.

The only thing everyone could agree on was that Gwenyth's hometown must have been _very_ far away. From the weird songs she would sing to her talk of normal life there. Some mused that only the Grand Line could house such a place as the City of Angels. (Which Gwenyth _begged_ them to stop calling it by. Saying the place was _anything_ but angelic and that that was just the literal translation. She even tried to scare them with talk of thugs, but it did no good.)

Regardless, the mayor of Toguchi, Dr. Yamata's twin brother, told her it would be next to impossible for any of the islanders to take her home if it did indeed reside on the Grand Line. Gwenyth simply shook her head and explained that her home couldn't be on this _'Grand Line'_, as she had never heard of such a place. Which then brought up an entirely different conversation that she has long since forgotten.

Only when Maaya and Katsuya's small home came into view, did Gwenyth stop running. She left out a sigh of relief and smiled when she saw Maaya sewing on the front porch. For reasons she wasn't quite sure of, the elderly couple had taken her in with no questions asked. She did chores and helped out with the 'grunt work', as Katsuya put it, in exchange for room and board. Sometimes it was annoying, but other times Gwenyth was more than happy to help out. She was especially excited whenever Maaya would teach her trade and have Gwenyth help with the needle work.

She was nowhere near as good as Maaya was, none were, but the old woman liked to tell her how good she was getting and how much better she would be someday. If she continued to practice, of course. This made Gwenyth work quickly through the 'constantly-pricked-fingers' stage and onto the 'hey-this-actually-looks-pretty-decent-and-I didn't-almost-die-from-blood-loss' stage.

Katsuya didn't let Gwenyth help out too much in his workshop. He seemed to think anything she touched would blow up in their faces. Which, in her defense, only happened _once_. Well, _twice_ if you counted the time her science building had to be evacuated in sophomore year. But Katsuya didn't need to know about that little mishap. Regardless, he hadn't let her so much as breathe _around_ his devices since. She mostly sat on his 'napping couch' and bothered him until he sent her to go chop wood, or something equally difficult and time consuming.

Gwenyth had never realized just how spoiled her life back home was until living on Tabi Island. If nothing else, she was getting into much better shape from all the walking, working, and lack of smog in the air.

"Hi, Maaya." Maaya looked up from the dress she was sewing.

"Oh, Gwen. Hello." She smiled, her eyes crinkling," Could you do me a favor, dear?"

"Of course, Granny." Gwenyth huffed as she dropped the heavy load in front of the house. Maaya smiled at the fondness of the girl.

"Could you run to the shop and bring me my purple book? I believe it's on the table."

"Sure thing," Gwen wiped the sweat off her brow. "Anything else?"

Maaya thought for a moment, then reached into her pocket. "As a matter of fact, I can feel my sweet tooth calling." She pulled out her decorative coin purse and handed it to the girl, who took it graciously. "Fetch us something for dessert, will you, dear?"

Gwenyth smiled wide with a childlike glint in her eye, before turning to run. "OF COURSE!" She shouted over her shoulder. "Hey old jerk!" She greeted in passing. How he had caught up so quickly, she'd never know.

"Where ya going, kid?" He called after her.

"Purple book and sweets~!" She could practically feel him shaking his head and smiling through his beard at her silliness. Gwenyth ran past the last picket fence of Unmei Village giggling.

All of the villages were rather small and close to one another, aside from Toguchi- the largest village in the center of the island. Which Gwenyth considered Tabi's 'city' of sorts. Each of the five smaller villages' main road connected to Toguchi; it was quite literally impossible to avoid. The 'city' consisted almost entirely of shops, including Maaya and Katsuya's. Which he had built himself as a young man and liked to boast about.

After passing a few farm houses, Gwenyth reached Toguchi. It was a little after noon, and the lunchtime crowd was in full swing. People hustling from shop to shop, while traveling street merchants shouted over one another. It was almost like being back home, but with less chance of trouble and more "Hi, how have you been?"s. Gwenyth nodded to the florist next door, before pulling out her spare key and unlocking the shop.

Katsuya's workshop was on the second floor, while Maaya's was on the first. Her clothing decorated several mannequins in the window, all ready to be picked up by those who had pre-order them. Gwenyth stared at them in awe, as she always did. She found it hard to believe that someone could be so talented without having sold their soul or using some devil magic. Either way, Gwenyth wanted to become that talented some day. Hell, she just wanted to wear beautiful, handcrafted clothing. Designed and sewn specifically for her, like the girls Maaya had made those dresses for. Everyone said Maaya's clothing was considerably cheap for the amazing quality, though it was still expensive by Gwenyth's standards. (Or maybe she still didn't fully understand the Beri system?)

She was a little jealous, but told herself to suck it up and remember that these girls probably couldn't even sew a button. Much like Gwenyth herself, too long ago. Though, unlike them, _she_ was learning under the amazing Maaya and not just buying clothing from her. So one day, with enough practice, Gwenyth would be able to make all the beautiful, amazing quality clothing she wanted _herself._

"Take _that_, ladies." She said to the mannequins with her nose in the air, and her ego not too far behind. Gwenyth plucked the purple book off the table, left the shop, and locked the door behind her. An arrogant grin on her face, and the band-aids covering her pricked fingers forgotten, she started to skip to the bakery down the street. Humming one of her other-worldly songs as she went.

* * *

**I love having the writer-bug again. Writing tons and tons with ease, but not being able to sleep or get to class on time because of it... It's a double-edge sword kind of world...**


	4. All Good Things

**Ugh. This was such a draining chapter. It jumps around a bit time-wise, but it gives out quite a bit of information that I found necessary. Maybe this is one of those unintentionally-intentionally confusing things I was apologizing for last chapter? _*shrugs*_**

* * *

No one said life was easy, and Gwenyth agreed that it wasn't. Though she was pretty sure the person who coined that saying had ever been in her situation before. As if regular old life wasn't enough, the universe decided to pull _this_ on her.

She knew her family would worry. Not only because _she_ was missing, but because her cousin, Hannah, had gone missing before as well. It was about five years before she suddenly reappeared. Though this thought gave Gwenyth little hope, as Hannah had gone completely out of her mind in her absence. She spout out nonsense about having married a Navy man and giving birth to a little girl in another world. Not long after her return, she attempted to kill herself in order to 'see her family again', and her parents put her into a mental institution about two weeks later.

Nobody really talks about Hannah anymore.

Gwenyth wrote her parents a letter since she couldn't call them, seeing how this island was pretty much cut off from the modern world. Which, even then, Gwenyth thought was strange. Even more so these days considering the amount of travelers that visited the island with the latest news. (This week, the merchants from further West claimed that pirates had been spotted coming this way. This was a standard claim made at least twice a month, so no one paid much mind. Gwenyth was also pretty sure that the only pirates still around were in Somalia, so she figured it was some kind of on-going joke the merchants had with the islanders.)

The mail carrier only visited the island twice a week, and it usually took him about three days to get all the way around the island. Which was a direct result of the islanders' natural hospitality, as it took literally less than a day to reach all five villages. Maybe an entire day if you walked _really_ slow. Either way, it took a full week on the island before Gwenyth could even _give_ the man her letter.

Weeks went by with no word from her parents. She continued to get comfortable on the island, keeping rather positive. Mostly, she was trying not to think of all the trouble she might get into once her parents came to get her. After two months, Gwenyth became worried and wrote a second letter, giving it to the mailman half a week later. Still nothing. This went on for quite some time, all the while getting more and more situated with her predicament.

It was about nine months after the first letter when it finally happened. And if she were completely honest, Gwenyth had seen it coming for quite some time.

She had long since become Maaya's official apprentice when the mail carrier entered their shop that day. He handed the young girl a pile of letters with a heavy heart. Atop each envelope in red, was a stamp saying: "ADDRESS NOT FOUND". Gwenyth checked and double checked her handwriting, insisting upon there being a mistake. But the letters had been checked and double checked by every known address, the man told her. They had even sent the address to a postal agency that dealt mostly with the Grand Line, and they, too, found nothing.

She was shocked, but it wasn't too much of a surprise. In the back of her mind, Gwenyth had always known that something was wrong.

When she sang iconic rock songs or famous Disney numbers. Or talked about "The City of Angels". Or talked about _anything_ from her life before Tabi, the islanders would smile. Maybe nod or even laugh a little out of politeness. But there was always a vague look on their faces; a lack of recognition.

Very little of what she said actually made sense to them. It was like listening to a person who would constantly speak in riddles. They smiled, or nodded, or laughed, because they were a kind people; raised on good manners and hospitality from the cradle. She could feel this, and they were known for this. To openly question the oddities she spoke so fondly of would be nothing short of rude. And the last thing anyone wanted was for the girl feel un-welcomed in any way. She could feel this, too.

Despite the people's efforts, she was most definitely aware that she didn't belong here. Not on this island, and not in this world. She was alone. It really wasn't a surprise, re-receiving all her letters. But to hold the heavy finality of such a fate in her hands was still too much. She was utterly and entirely alone.

Fat, salty tears poured down her cheeks and the letters fell from her hands. She couldn't breathe. She fell to the floor, screaming, crying, and flailing in hysterics. She cried out for her mother and father. For her home. And finally for Hannah, though she wasn't sure why. Gwenyth hadn't spoken to her in years, but she cried harder for Hannah than anyone.

At some point, Katsuya had come down from his shop and began to cradle the girl in his large arms. She heard him asking questions, but she couldn't comprehend them in her current state. Maaya cooed and stroked her hair until it calmed Gwenyth down enough to cease screaming. But the tears wouldn't stop. The ache in her heart wouldn't allow it.

"We had a son, you know. His name was Raiden." Maaya's smile shined with motherly love. Her eyes lightly glazed, watching memories pass by. "He was such a good boy, always liked to play the hero, we loved him so much. He joined the Navy after his 18th birthday. He loved it, and we were fully supportive. He was stationed at an island not too far from here and would visit whenever he could, the sweetheart."

Gwenyth continued to cry. Though confused by the sudden story, she noticed Maaya was speaking about her son in the past tense. The older woman continued.

"During one of his visits, there was a big commotion on the island. A young woman had washed ashore. She was confused and spoke of strange things and places, much like yourself. Her name was Hannah." Shock racked through Gwenyth's body, and a loud sob escaped her lips. Katsuya held her closer.

"When she and Raiden met, I could tell right then that they belonged together. And a little more than a year later, they wed. It was beautiful. You would have loved her gown, Gwenyth." Maaya said looking down at the wide-eyed, crying girl.

"They had a little girl not too long after. They named her Sora, after the sky. Her eyes were so blue, just like her mother's, and she had such energy!" She laughed. But Maaya's smile began to waver, and the pain she felt talking about this became all the more evident to Gwenyth. Even Katsuya, keeping quite and giving no physical indications, was deeply hurt by this conversation. Beyond all the shock and heartache she was feeling, Gwenyth could sense their pain just as easily.

"Not more than a few years after her birth, there was a large riot on the island Raiden was stationed at. He was badly injured and had to be brought to the hospital, where he and many others died. Hannah was so distraught, and Sora grew very sick from being around all the death. They returned to Tabi soon after, but there was nothing we could do for poor Sora. Dr. Yamata had never seen such a sickness in someone so young. Not too long after, she passed on as well.

"Then, one day, Hannah was gone. We didn't know where she went. Many of us believe she took her own life to be with her family, though no one has ever said such a thing aloud."

"Nobody really talks about Hannah anymore," Gwenyth murmured to herself. Regardless, Katsuya answered.

"The islanders don't talk about them out of respect, to them and to us. No parent should have to burry their child or grandchild. Who would want to bring up such pain?"

"N-No!" Gwenyth shouted, sitting up, growing hysterical again, "I meant, no one at home! N-No one talks about her anymore because s-she disappeared for y-years! Then she s-showed up at our grandparents house o-one day s-screaming about w-wanting to 'go back'. She said s-she'd been to another w-world and had gotten married a-and had a kid, but no one b-believed her! _I_ didn't believe her! I..._ I._.." She couldn't breath, but screamed out what little air she had.

"She... She's alive?"

She nodded franticly, quickly losing control over her body. "But I haven't heard anything about h-her since I was twelve. When s-she came back._ I'm s-so, s-so s-sorry!"_

"Shhh... Shhh..." Maaya pushed her back into Katsuya's arms and they tried to calm her once again. "It's alright, Gwenyth. You didn't know. Hush now. It will all be okay, dear."

"C-Can I stay here for the n-night?" Gwenyth croaked. "I n-need some time to think..." She couldn't look at them. So many thoughts and emotions running through her head, she couldn't keep anything straight.

Was that why they had taken her in? She was alone in this world. Because she reminded them of Hannah? She didn't belong here. Or, of Sora? She belonged in another world. Did they even really care about her? Why was she here? How was any of this even possible? Nothing made sense.

"OF COURSE NOT-"

"-Of course, dear." Maaya overpowered her husband with half the volume. "Darling, you still have that couch in your workshop, don't you?"

"Yeah, but-"

"This is a lot for her to take in. She needs time to herself." Katsuya wanted to disagree, but could find no reason to. "It's only one night, darling." Maaya added. He huffed in response, then carried Gwenyth up the stairs and set her down gently on his napping couch.

"Ya sure you'll be okay here for the night, kid?" Gwenyth nodded. Katsuya signed and patted her head. Maaya walked over with a blanket and draped it across the girl. She gave her a kiss on the forehead.

"We love you, Gwenyth. We love you for you, and not because of anyone else. Don't forget that." The two walked down the stairs and headed home in silence. Surrounded by the still of the night, Gwenyth felt even more alone. Maaya's story rang through her head.

Hannah really _had_ married a navy man. Maaya and Katsuya's son Raiden. Her daughter's name had been Sora, which meant sky. Her husband died during a riot at the town he was stationed. Hannah was heartbroken and returned to Tabi with a sick Sora, who later passed away. Hannah stayed with Maaya and Katsuya, trying to recover from all the loss, until she disappeared. None of the islanders knew where she went, but many of them believed she took her own life to be with her family in heaven.

"But she d-didn't...", Gwenyth cried. "She came back to _us_, a-and we... we didn't _listen_ to her... S-She must've been in _so much pain_. And we just threw her into a nuthouse!" She shook and gasped for breath several times. "W-We d-didn't even_ t-try_ t-to understand! I'm s-sorry, H-Hannah. _I'm s-so s-sorry!_" She sobbed miserably, unable to control herself.

Much later in the night, Gwenyth fell into a restless slumber. Tears still cascading down her cheeks.

* * *

**Are those pirates I see on the horizon?**


	5. Life Under Siege

**Alright. So, everything is probably gonna seem a little confusing to you at first. This is intentional. Gwenyth's brain simply doesn't feel the need to go into every little detail over what it now considers '****_normal'_****. Of course, when a couple of inquisitive visitors ask, she'll explain everything to them. **

**And therefore to****_ YOU, _****by default! If you read it, that is...**

* * *

_"PIRATES!" _Gwenyth looked up from her sewing to see a man running past the storefront's windows. "MORE PIRATES ARE COMING TO SHORE!"

Gwenyth jumped up from the table and grabbed the tiny shield off the coatrack before running outside. She rushed to the edge of Toguchi where a small party of men had already gathered.

"Doctor!" She shouted. Dr. Yamata, dawned in some archaic battle armor, was trying to flatten his hair as he turned towards the girl. "What's happening? We've still got _hours_ before nightfall!"

"Gwenyth! Go back inside, right now! We'll handle this." She stopped right in front of him, adjusting the straps on her shield to better suit her forearm. Though, it looked more like an incredibly thick, round piece of armor than a full-on shield.

"LIKE HELL! No way, I'm going with ya'll. If something goes down, I can help fight." She motioned to the large, sheathed hunting knife that hung from her hip. The good doctor sighed in frustration before heading past the blockade with the others.

"Fine, but only because we don't have time to argue." The men rushed towards the Western shore where the pirates had been spotted. "But stay out of fighting. Katsuya, rest his soul, would kill me if I let anything happen to you. So head straight back to Toguchi at the first sign of trouble, understand?"

Gwenyth nodded. The small party jogged to the beach as Lou, the lookout, explained the situation.

"There can't be too much of 'em. It was only two small sailboats coming from around the Southern bend, probably headed in from the East."

"Then why all the huff?" Gwenyth asked, a few feet in front of the rest of the group. Younger legs, and all that.

"One of them sails had a jolly roger on it. No doubt they're pirates. Though, it looked more like a clown than anything else."

"That's weird." Gwenyth mumbled before focusing on the dirt road. Once the beach came into view, everyone hushed. The Western shore was where Tabi's official dock had resided. However, it had been smashed to pieces during the first raid. There on the shoreline were two small sailboats, just as Lou had said. Everyone but Gwen quickly jumped into the surrounding bushes.

Gwenyth could make out only three people. One was a man with green hair and several swords, which made her nervous. But a girl with short orange hair bonked him on the head, shouting at him like he was a child. Which made him much less intimidating. The last one was a boy in a red vest wearing a straw hat, smiling and laughing about something. Probably the other guy getting hit.

They were an odd bunch, no doubt. But Gwenyth, standing no less than fifty feet away, didn't feel an ounce of fear. There was nothing about them that screamed for her to run away, or ready her weapon. They seemed like rather normal travelers, and without even talking to them, Gwenyth almost felt she could vouch for their innocence; swearing they had no ill intent for the island or its dwellers.

Gwen felt a pull on her arm, and looked down to see the doctor tugging her into the bushes to hide.

"Hurry, Gwenyth," He whispered," Before they see you!" Gwenyth looked back up at the group of alleged pirates.

"They look more like a group of fisherman to me..." She whispered, talking more specifically about the straw hat boy than anyone else. The doctor pulled harder, but the girl wouldn't budge. All that heavy lifting Katsuya made her do paid off.

"Gwenyth, _please_! They're pirates, they'll murder you in cold blood! That's what pirates_ do!_"

"I dunno..." Gwenyth trailed off as the redhead hit the laughing boy. "That girl seems to have everything under control..." She thought for a moment before pulling her arm away from Dr. Yamata and walking towards the group. "I'm gonna go see what they want." The Doctor began to pat his clumpy hair down as he whisper-shouted for her to get back in the bushes.

The first to notice her a approach was the swordsman, quickly followed by the other two. She was a little worried now, seeing as how they were quiet and on the defensive. But she kept a strong face and stopped about ten feet away from them. Gwenyth flinched when the green haired man straightened his stance and rested a hand lazily atop one of his swords' hilt. The look in his eye said he was definitely a force to be reckoned with. She crossed her arms despite this.

"My name's Gwenyth Jones. It's nice to meet you. Who the hell are you, and what do you want from this island?" She said with more force than necessary. The boy with the straw hat grinned and jumped in front of her.

"I'm Monkey D. Luffy, and we're pirates! Can I have food?" Gwenyth's hard face fell into open gawking. She also heard some of the men in the bushes fall over. This kid? A_ pirate?_ The other girl hit the poor boy over his head.

"DON'T SAY THAT, YOU IDOIT! NOW WE REALLY WONT GET ANY FOOD!"

"Eh? Pirates? For real? Ya don't look it." Gwenyth said, thinking back to the pirates in the movies and the ones who, not too long ago, stormed this very beach. The straw hat popped up again as though he hadn't just been clobbered.

"Yep! We are! I'm the captain, Zoro's the swordsman, and Nami's our navigator." He said in a childlike way.

"Uh..."

"Don't listen to him," The redhead, Nami, said from beside Gwen, pointing at the other two. "_They_ may be pirates, but I'm just traveling with them for the money." Gwenyth nodded, though the whole thing was rather confusing, while Luffy began to pout and whine.

"So, wait a sec," Gwen pointed to the straw hat boy, "_You're_ the captain?"

"That's what I said!"

"But if you're the captain... then you can't possibly be a part of that other pirate crew, right? 'Cause they already have a captain..."

"Ooh~ You have other pirates here, _too!?_ SO COOL!" Luffy shouted with excitement in his eyes. Boy, was he loud.

"You want 'em, you can have 'em. We certainly don't." Gwenyth said getting in a bad mood. Straw Hat began to jump up and down, blabbering about the island having pirates and adventure. She wanted to punch him. Those pirates were no laughing matter. This group of people must have just been travelers who liked to _pretend_ they were pirates. There was no way any real pirate would behave this way. Right?

"Oi, I've got a question for you girl." The swordsman, (was his name Zoro?) finally spoke up.

"My name's Gwenyth," She repeated, keeping a hand on Luffy's face to keep him from getting any closer to her. He was still blabbering on about having an adventure. Zoro ignored the two.

"Who're those people in the bushes?"

As if on cue, the men tumbled out and onto the beach, in a rather pathetic heap, shouting: **_"WE'VE BEEN CAUGHT!" _**Gwenyth felt a sweat drop down her head. She removed her hand from Luffy's face and crossed her arms again.

"Just some of the islanders. A look out saw the jolly roger on your sail, and we assumed you were another threat." She explained.

"It's not ours, it's Buggy's." Luffy responded with a nod.

"Who's Buggy?"

"I beat him up."

"Did you, now?" Gwenyth asked skeptically. _He didn't even answer the question_, she thought as another drop of sweat rolled down her head. Luffy nodded again with a "hm". This must have been his 'serious face', she mused. He was kind of adorable, in a childish way, but she could see why Nami liked to hit him. Doctor Yamata took this moment to stand in front of Gwenyth with his arms extended, much to her and the pirates' surprise.

"I'll never let you hurt our Gwen, you _bastards!_" The pirates stared at the man, tilting their heads in confusion.

"Calm down, doc." Gwenyth said pulling him back. "You heard 'em. They're just hungry travelers. They'll be on their way once we give 'em something to eat." The mentioning of food got Luffy all hyped up again. Dr. Yamata, whose left glasses lens was now cracked, began to flatten his hair.

"B-But you heard them, Gwenyth. They're _pirates!_"

"Yep, we are." Luffy nodded and Nami hit him again, shouting at him to shut up. Gwenyth laughed a little.

"Well, whatever they are, they don't mean any harm. Right, Mr. Captain?"

"Right! I just want food!" He said smiling. Gwenyth nodded.

"I know we don't have much to spare, so I'll just give them some of mine." The islanders went to protest, but Gwenyth quickly cut them off. "After all, this island is know for its hospitality. What would it say about us if we shooed away hungry visitors with nothing to eat? That would be very rude of us, ya know." She tut-tutted in a Maaya-like fashion. Bringing up their kind nature was a bit of a low blow, but it silenced the men nonetheless.

* * *

"Here you go," Gwenyth said, placing a bowl of fruits and vegetables on the now cleared sewing table. "Sorry I don't have anything else."

Her guests didn't seem to mind, as the two men devoured the food while Nami ate more like a human being. Gwenyth snatched two apples out of the bowl as quickly as she could. It didn't look like she'd have any food left over once they left. She wrapped the apples in cloth and put them in a cupboard, before picking up the discarded clothing from earlier. Sewing to the sound of her company's chewing.

"So, what happened here? To this island?" Nami asked after finishing her second piece of fruit. Gwenyth stopped sewing, and looked up at her guests.

"We're under attack." The three visitors jumped from their chairs.

"What!? Right now?" Nami asked franticly.

"I don't see 'em! Where?! Where!?" Luffy shouted, bits of food flying out of his mouth.

"Well, not '_right now'_ right now. But yeah, right now. _Kinda.._."

"What the hell does that mean?" Zoro grumbled sitting back down.

"A group of pirates from the West is circling the island. Their not letting anyone in or out. Not even trade ships with supplies we're beginning to get desperate for. How you guys ever got passed is beyond me. They've been blowing up every ship that's tried." She sighed. "Almost every night for the past few weeks they've come ashore and ravaged the island. Toguchi, where we are now, is the center village connected to the other five. Everyone who could ran here for safety and we've turned it into a stronghold. Which you saw. We can't leave the village by ourselves, even in the day time, because there are still groups of pirates hanging around. And _because_ of them, it's all the more difficult to send out a search party to the other villages."

Gwenyth took a deep breath and put her head down. Trying not to cry in front of these strangers.

"Last I heard, Unmei, the village I was staying at... was burnt to the ground. It's the second furthest village from here, and, like I said, some of those fuckers are still on the island. So, we haven't been able to check for conformation... or survivors." Gwenyth's head popped up when she felt a hand circle hers. Nami gave her a sad smile, and Gwenyth could feel a sense of understanding. She sniffed and wiped her eyes with her free hand, giving Nami's a tight squeeze with the other.

"Do you have family there, in Unmei?" Zoro asked, looking out the store window.

She nodded. "Yes, my... caretakers. They... They're the closest thing I have to family in this world. But, so far, our search party has only made to Dale, the closest village to the south. They only found six survivors before pirates started shooting at them... Four people died trying to make it back..." Gwenyth paused. Her silence was broken by a knock at the door. She looked to the clock on the wall.

"Oh! Right, um." She stood up, walking towards the door while still facing her guests. "It's almost time for the changing of the guard. I can't take you back to the beach, currently. So you guys can stay here if you'd like, or walk around a little. After I get off duty, I'll ask for some help escorting you."

"Gee, thanks!" Luffy chimed happily as she opened the door. A small group of women with children was on the other side.

"Hello everyone. Come on in, you guys," Gwenyth welcomed, opening the door wider. The children ran in as their mothers thanked her and said their goodbyes.

"W-What's going on?!" Nami shouted over the kids. Gwenyth closed the door with a small boy in her arms.

"I told you, changing of the guard. Those women are able bodied, so it's their turn to stand watch."

"But... they have children..."

Gwenyth nodded, shifting the toddler onto her side. "So do the men and woman coming off guard, and the men and woman who will be going on guard later."

"How many shifts are there?" Zoro asked before pulling his white sword away from a little girl with sticky fingers. Gwenyth placed the boy in a group of other toddlers.

"Four: Morning, afternoon, night, and midnight. Pretty much everyone has a shift, unless you have a necessary skill like me. Or Dr. Yamata, Chef Black, or her husband Smith Black, the blacksmith. But we have shifts to watch the children of the island. Mine is the afternoon shift, as you can no doubt tell."

"What's your skill?" Luffy asked, looking up from the group of children he was playing with.

"I'm the seamstress' apprentice. Since the pirate raid happened so fast, those who fled didn't have enough time to grab most of their things, including clothing. So I've been making some for the townsfolk practically nonstop for the past weeks."

"Why have the apprentice make the clothes instead of the master?" Zoro asked, standing on a chair while glaring at the group children who kept asking to touch his hair and swords.

"That's right!" Nami shouted with stars in her eyes. "Doesn't Tabi Island have a famous seamstress who makes _beautiful_ gowns for cheap?" Gwenyth nodded.

"That's Granny Maaya. Her work is worth every Beri and more. But..." She looked down. "Like I said, my caretakers are in Unmei, so I'm the next best thing..." She felt a tug on her arm and saw a little girl.

"Hey, Gwen-chan? Can you sing us a song?"

"Yah, sing a sung Gwen-chan!"

"Yeah, pretty peas?"

"That's 'pretty _please'_, dummy!"

"Oh, yeah. What he said!"

Gwenyth laughed. In the face of such dark times, she felt children needed to be distracted, less they get too afraid and end up becoming a hassle. So during her first few child-watching shifts, Gwenyth did nothing but sing and act out Disney songs and showtunes. This resulted in a sore throat for the next couple of days, but the children were much more comfortable with her 'babysitting' them while their parents were 'busy'.

"Alright, alright. What should I sing?"

"YOU CAN _SING_, _TOO!?_" Luffy shouted, possibly more excited than the children. She nodded smugly.

"Not professionally, of course. But I'm pretty damn good, if I do say so myself." She stated proudly, not at all ashamed to show her ego.

"SO COOL!" She nodded some more, basking in his loud praise.

"Oh, oh! I know what song, I know what song!" One of the boys shouted with his hand raised, much like a student in a classroom. Gwenyth pointed at him, still grinning wildly.

"YES, HIKARU, DEAR, WHAT SONG WOULD YOU LIKE?" She shouted, happy that the children were now able to recognize some of the songs she sang. It made her feel a little less lonely. Even if they usually called them by the wrong names. It was the thought that counted.

"Um, uh, the one... with the... uh... spoon... of... medicine?"

"A spoon full of sugar, you mean?"

"YEAH!" Gwenyth laughed and cleared her throat. She started off with Mary Poppins' small amount of dialog before jumping head first into the song. She danced around and with a few of the children as she acted out the words. She made faces and overly dramatic gestures, which they all reacted to splendidly. Even her more mature guests were smiling and keeping the beat in some small way. Her immature guest was just as loud and rambunctious as the children.

"Make a man! Make a man!" One of them called out when she was done.

"ALRIGHT!" Gwenyth shouted with a grin. "_Let's get down to business!"_ She sang/shouted stomping her foot loudly on the floorboard. The children jumped up acting as troops, albeit more giddy and giggly. She hopped around them acting like she was their serious, unintentionally comical general. Though, all she would do was make faces and pick them up. Twirling them into different places and positions.

This included Luffy who, though she didn't pick him up, was laughing the entire time. She held his hands and spun around with him to the other side of the room and back. Both so dizzy once they returned, that he instantly fell down and she nearly tripped over his limbs. She attempted not to step on them, only to toppled over trying to help him up. They bashed foreheads which caused a loud string of curses to erupt from the girl. The onlookers were exploding with laugher throughout the entire spectacle. Gwenyth had long since lost her place in the song by then.

She continued her performance for the next few hours or so, until comically collapsing to the floor crying: "NO MORE! SPARE ME! _NO MORE!_" A round of disappointed "aw"s filled the shop, from children and pirate captain alike.

"Please? Just one more! _Please?_" A round of 'please'-ings filled the air around her. She sat up and looked at each of their puppy-dog faces before rolling her eyes and sighing.

"_Fiiiiiine._ But this is the last one_ for real! _And it's gonna be a lullaby, 'cause that'll be easier on my throat." The children, and Luffy, nodded in agreement with shining eyes.

She cleared her poor, poor throat, though it was already accustomed to the abuse, as the children either sat or laid down around her. She cleared it again before singing a soft, low version of Ave Maria. Though it was technically a religious prayer, and Gwenyth was in no way religious, it was still one of the most beautiful and calming songs she had ever heard. Her notes were more airy than pure, but it seemed to add to the sleepy nature she was trying to give off.

Once she finished, all of the children were either droopy-eyed or dead asleep. The pirate captain was in the later group, snoring quite contently on the wooden floor. She stood up carefully and whispered to the still awake children.

"You guys can go play, but try to be quiet for the others, okay?" They nodded and slowly rose, walking away from the sleepers. Gwenyth smiled and walked back over to her still awake guests.

"That was amazing! Where did you learn those songs?" Nami whispered. Gwenyth smiled as she took her seat and picked up her work again.

"Thanks. There was this karaoke joint near my house. My friends and I would always go there after school to goof off. So the songs are practically etched into my brain."

"YOU'RE SO COOL!" Luffy shouted, now awake and rushing towards the girl.

"SHUT UP, ASSHOLE, YOU'LL WAKE THEM UP!" She said bashing his face in with a tin can full of buttons. The noise of which made the sleeping children twitch. Some even looked up before laying their heads back down and falling asleep once more. Luffy didn't seem to mind the new red mark on his face as he continued talking, thankfully quieter.

"You should join our crew! You can sing for us and make us stuff to wear!" Gwenyth blinked at him, _finally_ finishing the shirt she'd been working on since noon.

"_What?_"

"That's a great idea! She can make me all sorts of clothing for _free!"_

"_What?_" Gwenyth asked again, glancing at Nami.

"No doubt we'll need a change of clothes or two when were on the Grand Line. But we still need a cook. Can you cook?"

"_What?_" She repeated, staring at Zoro like he was crazy.

"And she can sing for us! Our singing spleen-stress!

"What the hell's a spleen-stress?" Gwen asked looking lost, bewildered, and confused.

"That's seamstress, idiot! Get it right!"

"Right! That! Our singing seamstress!"

"I have no idea what's happening anymore..."

* * *

**Oh, Gwenyth how I adore you~ She's so immature yet surprisingly responsible. How does she do that? I have no clue. **


	6. Treasured, Now and Forever!

**Gwenyth is right-handed, but for some reason she wears her shield on her right arm and uses her knife with the left... Mildly ambidextrous or just a total oddball?I have no clue. Anyways, try to remember that.**

* * *

The last of the mothers waved as she walked away with a sleeping child in her arms. Gwenyth did the same. Night was going to fall soon. Before turning back to her guests, Gwenyth put on her small, but thick shield once again.

"All right, that's the last of 'em. Let's go find someone to take you back to your ships. _Quickly_." She said adjusting the straps and eyeing the darkening sky. She bit her lip, _It might even be too late_, she thought.

"You're coming too, right?" Luffy asked seated at the table, bouncing his legs.

"I'll help lead you back to the beach, but I can't leave with you."

"But you're part of my crew!"

"I never agreed to that."

_"Please!"_ He demanded more than asked.

"No."

"Well, why not?" He pouted. Gwenyth looked at him seriously.

"I'm not leaving until I know what happened to Maaya and Katsuya. Not to mention, this place... These _people_ are too important to me for me to just run away. I'm sorry, but that's my final answer."

"_Soooo_... If we help get rid of your pirate problem, you'll come with us?" Nami summarized with a greedy look in her eyes.

"Uh... Yeah, sure. I guess... But there's a whole shit-load of 'em. I don't know what you think you're gonna be able to do..."

Nami nodded. "Then it's decided. Luffy, Zoro, I'll leave it to you! Remember, my free, new clothing is on the line here!"

Luffy shouted joyfully about getting another crew member while Zoro complained that if her clothes were so important _she_ should be the one to fight. Nami simply sighed with a smile and made some silly reason as to why she didn't have to. Something along the lines of: "Why should I, when I've got the two of you to do it?"

Gwenyth was in the middle of having second thoughts when the sound of a cannon shot out in the distance. She was out the door in less than a heartbeat. Her self-proclaimed crewmates-to-be rushing after her.

"Was that a cannon? Is it going to hit the village?" Zoro asked her from behind.

"No. Toguchi is too far inland, thank god. But that was the signal for them to come ashore."

"Are you sure you should be running into battle with that itty-bitty shield, Gwen?" Nami asked with concern. Gwenyth smirked over her shoulder at the girl.

"It's one of Old Jerk Katsuya's inventions, and I'm pretty sure he made it especially for me. It packs a bigger punch than you'd think."

Nami nodded, smiling in understanding.

They reached the edge of Toguchi in no time. The approaching sound of shouting and gunfire was all too common these nights. A blockade of sandbags, large rocks, furniture, and anything else the villagers had been able to spare was in place. As it had been for the past few weeks, with the only exits now closed by large items. The Yamata twins were shouting orders to the villagers.

"Doctor! Mayor! Our visitors are going to help us get rid of these assholes!"

"**Wonderful! That's fantastic, Gwenyth!**" They shouted in perfect symmetry patting down their clumpy hair. The only difference between them was the doctor's long white coat, the mayor's lack of glasses, and the colors of their archaic battle armor (the mayor's was silvery, while the doctor's was coppery). Gunshots, louder than before and hitting some of the buildings, caused more panic.

"Hit the deck!" Someone shouted close by. They all jumped to the ground moments before an explosion erupted just in front of the blockade.

A loud, pompous laughter rang out above all the commotion. The gunfire and animalistic shouting ceased for the moment. A tall, stick-like man dawned in a red coat, matching poofy pants, and a feathered hat moved forward. An long, ornate handheld cannon that seemed to double as a cane in his hands.

"So, we continue ourrrr nightly waltz yet again, eh? Wouldn't it be easierrrr just to give in?" He said rolling his R's far more than necessary.

"**_NEVER!_**" The Mayor, Doctor, Gwenyth, and Luffy all shouted at him, glaring over the sandbags.

"Huh?" Gwenyth turned to the Straw Hat, "Luffy, what are you yelling for? This isn't your island..."

"Yeah, but this place is your treasure and you're my Nakama. So I'll defend it too!" He said with his so-called 'serious' face on, as though that somehow explained it. She felt a drop of sweat roll down her neck.

"I'm your what-a?"

"Nakama!"

"What's that?"

"My friend! Kinda. And other stuff."

"That's not a very good explanation," She grumbled before continuing. "Who said this island was my treasure?"

"You did. Didn't you?" He asked naively.

"Well..." Gwenyth thought about it for a moment.

All the people here. How kind and close they were to one another and strangers alike. She had never come across such a thing back home. That place wasn't _really_ a home. It was just a place filled with far too many people who were all at each others throats. Not like this island. This island and its people loved and cared for one another like family. What would she do if anything happened to this place? To the people that she had grown to care for? That was easy: she'd destroy whoever thought they could do such a thing and get away with it.

She chucked darkly. "I guess your right. This place _is_ my treasure." She looked up at the pirate hoard. "And those bastards are trying to take it away from me..." Gwenyth growled.

"You gonna let 'em?" Luffy asked simply. There was a pause in the air. Such a simple question. The answer to which would shape everything after. All seemed to fall quiet while the world waited for her response.

"**LIKE ****_HELL_**** I WILL!**" She shouted into the silence with fire in her eyes. Luffy smiled and laughed good-heartedly, placing his hand on her back.

"I like you!"

"YOU'RE JUST _NOW_ DECIDING THIS?!" His other crewmates shouted at him while Gwenyth stared in confusion.

"Excuse me," the feathered captain called out," How much longerrr arrre you going to keep ignorrrring me? We might as well _leave_ at this point."

"THEN FUCKING LEAVE, DAMN IT. NOBODY WANTS YOU HERE, YOU SHIT-FACED MOTHER FUCKER!" Gwenyth shouted, trying to climb over the blockade to punch him, but Doctor and Mayor Yamata held her back. So she just flailed her limbs wildly in their grip.

"Such crrruel worrrds, from such an unculturrred girrrl!" The captain shouted.

"I'LL SHOW YA UNCULTURED YA POOFY-PANTS-WEARING, R-ROLLING ASSHOLE!"

"How rrrude! I'll stand forrr no morrre of this!"

"_YANKEE DOODLE WENT TO TOWN, RRRRRRIDING ON A PONY! STUCK A FEATHER IN HIS GAY-ASS CAP AND CALLED IT MACARRRRONI!_" She sing-shouted at him, mocking his R's. At this point, Luffy was rolling on the floor and laughing his lungs out, while Zoro was holding onto his gut and trying his damn hardest not to fall over.

"It wasn't that funny..." Gwenyth mumbled, sweat-dropping yet again.

"ENOUGH! MEN! RRROLL THEM INTO THE GRRRROUND!" Captain poofy-pants shouted.

"STOP ROLLING YOUR R'S LIKE THAT! YOU'RE NEITHER SCOTTISH NOR SPANISH! JUST STOP IT!"

Suddenly, the hoard of pirates began to rush towards the blockade. Those with guns, on both sides, shot at their enemy. Once they were close enough to the sandbags, villagers with weapons began to climb over and fought toe-to-toe with the pirates. But the villagers were untrained and the pirates were cruel. The blood of the innocent spilt so easily.

Gwenyth was about to climb over the wall herself when a pair of arms pulled her back. She shouted in protest but neither the mayor nor his brother loosened their grip.

"**Gwenyth, you need to run back into the village! Now!**" They shouted together, shoving her in that direction.

"What the hell?! No way! I'm fighting!"

"Listen, Gwenyth. They're are too many. I have no doubt they are going to break through tonight." The mayor explained.

"All the more reason to fight!" She shouted trying to get past them.

"No, Gwenyth!" The doctor shouted, pulling her back. "Think of the villagers! The children!" He shouted. She stopped fighting against him.

"The children?"

"They stay with the Smithy and his wife during the night shift, yes? You must go there and protect them! Please, Gwenyth!"

"But... You two... and everyone else..."

"Don't worry," Zoro said from behind her. She tuned to see all three of his swords drawn, the third in his mouth, and a bandanna fitted tightly upon his head. "Luffy and I'll stay here."

"And I'll go with you. No way I'm letting some scummy pirates get to those poor kids!" Nami snarled as though it were personal.

"You guys..." Gwenyth could feel a stinging sensation in her eyes. Luffy smiled at her with determination.

"I wont let your treasure be destroyed, Gwen. I promise!" There was still a childish look to him, but the true conviction in his eyes told Gwenyth he was dead serious. He would protect her home with _everything_ he had, no matter what the cost_. _She could feel it all the way down to her core. Such a simple and pure dedication of will gave her the greatest sensation of hope she'd felt in a long time.

Gwenyth smile back at him, fighting her tears.

"Thank you. Thank you very, very much." And with that, she and Nami started running. "Smith's Smithy isn't too far from here. It's only a few streets away from the shop, but we can take a shortcut." She said sniffing.

"Don't worry." Nami reassured her as they turned down a different street. "No matter how far those pirates get, Luffy and Zoro will take care of them for good!"

"You sure?"

Nami smiled. "Yep. I've seen it before, when they fought Buggy and his men. Those two, Luffy especially... They'll do anything to keep someone's dream safe." This gave Gwenyth more peace of mind as they continued to run. They turned down the street to the smithy's workshop and abruptly stopped. Much to Gwenyth's fears, a small group of pirates was making their way down the very same street.

"Shit..."

"This is the place?" Nami asked, suddenly holding a long rod.

Gwenyth nodded as they moved forward once more. She pushed a small, discreet release button on the back her tiny shield and twisted it to the left. The shield spun outwards and lost the majority of its thickness, but gained a considerable size in return. It then clicked into place, large enough to cover her torso.

The two stopped directly in front of the pirates, who noticed the young women almost instantly. Some chuckled lecherously, while others made crude gestures and cat calls.

"_Tch_, _pirates." _Nami grumbled rolling her eyes.

"Don't you mean men in general?" Gwenyth asked equally unamused but refused to take her eyes off them.

"There's a difference?" Nami smirked before straightening up and dashing straight towards the pirates.

Gwenyth gasped, dropping her guard, afraid her new friend would to be caught. But Nami moved through the group of men quickly and unscathed, reminding Gwenyth of a fox. Once she made it past them, she continued to run and the seamstress started to panic. WAS NAMI LEAVING HER HERE TO FIGHT OFF ALL THESE PIRATES ON HER _OWN!? _THERE WAS LIKE, _FIFTEEN_ OF THEM! _NOT FAIR, NOT FAIR, _**_NOT FAIR! _**Gwenyth was about to start crying and shout out in betrayal when the pirates began to yell.

"Hey, where'd all my treasure go?!"

"My money!"

"Mine's gone, too!"

"Where'd it go?"

A high pitched whistle caught everyone's attention. Nami, who was now at the end of the street, smiled sweetly while waving a couple of bags in the air.

"**OUR TREASURE!**" Judging by the pirates reactions, Gwenyth masterfully deduced that that was their stolen booty.

"Catch me if you can, boys~!" Nami shouted with a wink before dashing down another street. They all started shouting and a number of them ran off.

"Aren't cha gonna go get your treasure too?" She meekly asked the three who remained. Gwenyth hadn't been in an actual fight for years. The last time probably being in middle school. Even then it was only one other person. Now she was up against _three_. Two of which already had their guns drawn with the intent to kill. They simply laughed at her question. Fuck...

Gwenyth screamed when the first shot was fired, but ducked down onto her knees and shielded herself before it could hit. More shots were fired, but the shield absorbed the majority of their blasts. Gwenyth stared down at the straps of her shield, waiting for them to run out of bullets. She focused on the embroidered message that had most definitely been sewn by Maaya. _For Our Dear Kid_. This was why she thought the amazing shield was meant for her.

And it _was_ amazing. For one thing, it could change sizes. Small for carrying, medium for offense and minor defense, which she was currently using, and large for major defense. Though the later was far too heavy for Gwenyth to even lift because of the way the weight was distributed. The shield was otherwise light enough for her to carry without problem, and could absorb the greater amount of shock-waves from that which hit it in every form.

The pounding of bullets finally ceased and one of the pirates cursed. Gwenyth peeked over the sides of her defense. The two shooters were reloading, but the third pirate had unsheathed his sword and was rushing towards her.

Gwenyth shrieked out of habit before jumping to her feet. The man made a roaring sound as he lifted his sword to strike. Gwenyth screamed again before swinging her shield upward and bashing the edge against something firm.

The man shouted, falling backwards clutching his face. Gwenyth stared at him dumbstruck as the other two pirates jumped to his side. One of them removed the man's hands from his face to reveal a bruising, bleeding nose. Gwenyth hissed some air between her teeth as she grimaced. She had done that just by swinging her shield at him? She hadn't even meant to _hit_ anything, let alone break the guy's face. Talk about brutal. She almost mumbled an apology but decided he deserved since he was trying to ransack her island.

Oh yes, she suddenly seemed to remember, these men were her enemy. _They_ were trying to take something precious away from her. It was _their_ fault, and the fault of their entire _crew_, that she hadn't been able to go find Katsuya or Maaya. Because of _them_, she had no idea if the only family she had was even _alive_. And if they _weren't,_ these men were the reason why. _They_ **_killed_** Maaya and Katsuya. Maybe not these men specifically, and maybe the old couple was still alive, but they were a part of the crew that _tired to._ For that, Gwenyth decided, she would make them _scream_ for mercy.

A sudden change in the air gained the pirates' attention. They turned to the blonde shield wielder and immediately wished they hadn't. Where that screeching, fearful girl had once stood was now a dark, vengeful woman surrounded by a murderous aura. The pirates felt the blood drain from their faces as they stared into livid sea-green eyes.

"You want to play, scum? Okay. **_Let's play._**" She growled. One of the men seemed to get over his fears and jumped up to face her. He removed a small dagger from his pocket.

"You'll pay for that girly!" He shouted charging her.

Gwenyth's face somehow became even less amused and darker than before. She pulled the large hunting knife from the sheath at her side, no longer afraid of getting hurt. Or even death. They were going to _pay_ for what they had put her through. The pirate had more speed with his small dagger than Gwen did with her shield, but she nearly blocked all of his attacks. The ones that she couldn't, she was still able to evade.

"Hold her still!" One of the other pirates shouted. Both she and her opponent looked to the man to see him aim a pistol at the girl. The one with the broken nose back on his feet and scrambling to gather his sword, which was by Gwenyth's left foot. She kicked the sword as far down the street as she could, much to Broke Nose's displeasure. He chased after the blade, while her opponent thrusted his at her. Gwenyth blocked it then, rather childishly, stomped on his foot. The man hollered in pain.

"I said hold her!"

"I'm trying, ass-!"

Gwenyth cut him off by slashing his shoulder blade. The man screamed and grasped his wound. She cut him across his torso with the knife's jagged end, tearing both skin and clothing alike. Even as he screamed in pain, Gwenyth couldn't help but notice how similar the two were- flesh and cloth. Both could be torn up and sewn shut. Even so, human's were filled with blood, which fell through when the body was cut. Much unlike clothing, but much like the man before her now.

She watched him fall forward, blood gushing, gasping in pain. Not looking at him, but through him. Studying him like an old piece of fabric that she was debating on whether or not to keep or just get rid of.

Gwenyth didn't really feel anything for the bleeding man as she stared him down. Honestly, that scared her more than the fact that she had just mortally wounded him. This was another human being, and she was comparing him to a piece of sewing material? Not only that, but she had hurt him. She wasn't even sure if he would live through the night. She should feel terrible, or guilty, or sorry, or _something_. So, why was she so okay with it? Why didn't she feel any remorse? Why was she so comfortable with this man dying at her hand in cold blood?

A shot rang out and hit Gwenyth's shield, bringing her back into the moment. She looked to the shaking gunman in the same distant fashion. Wasn't she supposed to be upset or emotional? Or at least shaking? She wondered these things as she rushed the gunner from behind her shield. She tackled him as he continued to fire. He fell to the floor and a sickening crack was made when his head came into contact with the cobblestone street.

Gwenyth mildly noticed a small blood stain on her shield before turning to the last pirate. He, like the gunner before him, was shaking fearfully and hiding behind his weapon. In the back of her mind, Gwenyth felt his fear. He was terrified. Two of his crewmates were lying in the road, either dead or dying. The girl who put them there was standing before him, ready to do the exact same thing to him. He didn't mourn his comrades, he only worried for his own safety. This made Gwenyth angry once more.

"HOW _DARE_ YOU!?" She shrieked at him, making him flinch. "THESE ARE YOUR COMRADES! YOUR _FRIENDS! _AND YOU'RE ONLY WORRIED ABOUT YOURSELF!? YOU FILTHY, _DISGUSTING_, **_BASTARD!_** HOW DARE YOU!"

The man's knees buckled and a trembling whimper could be heard.

"Don't you even **_think_** of running, you _coward_." She threatened lowly. Either the man hadn't heard her or his flight response overrode his brain functions, because he took off screaming at a speed that Gwenyth would never be able to match.

"WHY YOU LITTLE-!"

"Gwenyth, is that you?"

She turned to see Smith Black the blacksmith spying from behind his workshop door. He was in his late fifties and reminded Gwenyth of Albert Einstein, but with a larger gut and thicker mustache. A small group of children surrounded the man, trying to see what all the commotion was about.

"Hey, Smith." She greeted casually as though there weren't two possibly dead bodies in the street. As though _she_ hadn't been the one to put them there.

"What happened?" He asked trying to keep the inquisitive children from looking outside.

"I..." She paused and looked to the pirates. Then glanced at whining children who couldn't see them. Then finally back to a shocked smithy. "I took care of it." She said simply.

"Gwen-y-chan! Gwen-y-chan! Will you sing us a lullaby?" One of the girls cried out. A wave of agreements spilled forth from behind the door, edging her for just one little song. Gwenyth smiled. They were so innocent.

"Not right now, guys." Disappointment filled their little voices. "Sorry. I'll sing for you tomorrow. I've got some more work I need to finish tonight." The dangerous tone in her voice flew over their heads as they dismally agreed. Smith however caught it quite easily. He glanced at the bodies once more before he began to shut the door.

"Be careful, Gwen. You mean as much to the rest of us as I believe we mean to you." With that he closed and locked his door, demanding the children go back to bed. Gwenyth smiled again, reveling in how lucky she was.

"Well, then. Guess I better get back to work now." She whispered sheathing her knife. Her grin still firmly in place.

* * *

**Is okay to complain about how annoyingly simplistic Luffy is and how difficult that makes him for me to fucking write? ****_Geez._**** That boy, I swear... **

**Anyway, I hope the fighting scenes were okay... I've never really written anything more than a single punch, so... Yeah...**

**This one feels like it was super long so I might not update tomorrow. But Saturday for sure. Unless I forget. Yeah.**


	7. First Scar of the Sea

_**Guess who forgot to post**** yesterday like she said she would~ **_**  
**

**This this chapter is shorter than the last two, I think... I had to cut it in half. The way it was before bothered me. But, I just really wanted to give Tabi Island a little more history, _okaaay?_ I freaking love this place. It's my most favorite fictional place I've ever created. Like,**_** ever. **_

* * *

Gwenyth had lost complete track of time. All she knew was that the sun had yet to rise and that she was sick of fighting. Even with all the shape she had gotten into living on the island, Gwenyth still wasn't able to handle these harsh conditions very well. Fighting like this was both physically and mentally draining, and she had a few new cuts and bruises as a result of her tired body's clumsy movements.

She slumped against a wall. _Deep breaths, don't fall asleep_, she told herself. Though there was nothing she wanted more than to ease into slumber. Close her eyes for the night and wake up in a warm bed come morning.

That wasn't likely, however. A number of cowardly pirates had seen her fighting their crewmates and ran in the other direction. She had no doubt that the majority of the enemy's crew knew what she looked like at this point and that they would kill her the moment they saw her so unguarded.

She had pretty much stayed in the same area the entire night; the streets around the blacksmith's workshop and Maaya and Katsuya's shop. Gwenyth hadn't run into anyone but pirates since Nami had coaxed that one group away earlier. Despite this, she was deeply thankful. Of all the bodies she had seen littering the streets of Toguchi, not one of them belonged to an islander. The same could probably not be said about the frontline, but Gwen would take what luck she could get.

Maybe she could get just a small ounce of shut eye? Gwenyth's eyes were drooping dangerously low and her head kept bobbing down. It was _soooo_ heavy. And sleep would be _soooo_ nice right now.

A high, pompous laugh rang out from down the street and woke her quickly. The ornate cannon was no longer just a cane for show. The feather capped captain really needed it in order to walk forward, awkwardly attempting to stroll with a limp. His clothes were muddy and tattered, and his feather looked more like a string with fluff at the end.

"Rrrrratherrrr rrrrrambunctious grrrrroup of islanderrrrrs, arrrrren't you?"

"I'm gonna cut your tongue out in a minute, asshole." She grumbled. He giggled annoyingly.

"You and what arrrrrrmy? I admit that strrrrrrrraw hat boy was a fearrrrful crrreaturrre, but my men have cerrrrtainly disposed of him by now."

Gwenyth glared daggers at him. Not only was he insulting Luffy verbally, but he didn't even have the _balls_ to face her friend dead on. He had hid behind his men and ran off before the fight was even over. To her, that was twice the insult. Add that to the fact that he was the captain of the crew that had possibly killed Maaya and Katsuya? _Oh_, if only she had some of that energy left over from earlier.

"A cowardly captain makes for a cowardly crew. Do you have any idea how many of your so-called 'men' ran from me with their tails between their legs? Rather pathetic bunch, if ya ask me. In fact, I'm kind of embarrassed I ever considered ya'll a threat in the first place." With every sentence a blood vessel seemed to throb larger and larger on the poofy pirate captain's head.

"THAT'S ENOUGH OF YOURRRR INSOLENCE, _GIRRRRL_!"

"_Gurrrrl_, don't joo be callin' me _gurrrrrrrl, _I ain't yo _gurrrrrl_. Homie be trippin'." Gwenyth mocked with her best 'ghetto' accent.

"I was only going to kill you forrr what you've done to my crrrrew, but now I'LL HAVE YOURRRR BLEEDING HEAD ABOVE MY MANTLE!" He shouted aiming his hand-held cannon at Gwenyth's head. She screamed and attempted to jump out of the way, but her arm was caught by the blast. She was propelled outwards and thrown to the ground.

Her arm was scorched and bleeding. A thick reeking of gunpowder and burning flesh lingered in the air. Red hot and festering, crimson mixed with a black residue pooled easily into the cracks of the cobblestone street. The pain was indescribable. Stinging blood, boiling skin, exposed tissue. Breathing wasn't an option. Breathing made her body move. Any movement opened the floodgates of more torment. But her insides began to scream. Not only was her arm in pain, but her lungs as well. She gasped for air, every nerve shrieking alive, but her body could taste no oxygen. She wanted to try again, but couldn't bring herself to release the breath.

Just as she was slowly regaining the ability to breathe, a heeled boot stomped down onto her bloody arm. A high pitched scream resounded throughout the island. The more force the captain exerted, the more animalistic the screams became. As did the girl's body movements. She shoved, hit, and clawed at his ankle with no use. Finally she chomped down on his leg and he shot his limb away in an attempt to get her off. But she simply bit down harder. He hit the top of her head with the end of his cane-cannon, shouting at her to let go.

Keeping her jaw locked, Gwenyth managed to pull herself onto her knees. She unsheathed her hunting knife. It felt so wrong to be holding it with her right hand, but she hardly had the time to complain. She released her jaw. Before the pirate captain had time to react, Gwenyth tore through the back of his knee with her blade's jagged edge. The man instantly fell, crying out in pain. He crawled away from her using his other three limbs as quickly as possible. Gwenyth let him. Mostly because she was barely able to sit up straight.

"MY LEG! WHAT DID YOU DO TO MY **FUCKING** LEG?!"

Gwenyth looked up at the hysterical captain. He was franticly attempting to move his leg, sitting in a pool of his own blood. Nothing below his knee appeared to be reacting. The girl smiled before her own pain caught back up with her. She fell to her side, no longer able to support herself. At some point her eyes had decided to close.

"WHAT DID YOU DO TO ME!?" The man shouted. He sounded further away than she knew him to be.

"_But I cut some cord... and I shouldn't of done that... An' it wont forgive me... after all these years..." _Gwenyth mumbled halfheartedly. There were light vibrations coming from the earth around her. People were shouting, but she could barely hear them. She could hardly hear the murmured lyrics she pushed past her lips.

"_I'm not paralyzed... but I seem to be struck by yoooou..."_ Something lifted her up by her shoulders and tried to shake her awake. She felt her head bobble around before landing forward. It was too heavy to be held up on its own.

"_Well, it's a bittersweet..." _A pair of hands left her shoulders and lifted her head for her. "_Symphony..._" She peeled her eyes to open and squinted outward. All she could make out was the color red. A person. Possibly a face. And a pale hat on top. "_This life..."_

* * *

_Uh oh._ Gwenyth knew this ceiling. She had stared up at it once before when she first came to this island. Glancing around, she pushed herself up with her good arm. Morning light streaming in softly from the adjacent window. Her left arm wrapped and held by a sling, Gwenyth pushed the covers off with one hand. She tried to pull her legs to the edge of the bed, finding it strange how difficult it was to move when one of her limbs was out of commission. She stood and made her way to the exit. Putting an ear to the door, Gwenyth attempted to listen for anyone who might have been moving around on the other side. It was of course at that moment when someone decided to swing it open.

"MOTHER FUCKING _FUCK!_" She howled, cradling her forehead from her place on the floor.

"Hi, Gwen!" Luffy shouted happily. Gwenyth glared daggers at him from behind her hand and his face fell. "Hey, what's wrong? What are you doing on the floor?"

"What's it _look_ like, dumb-ass?"

"Hmmm..." He crouched down to her level, squinting and studying her with his 'serious' face on. She stared back unamused, yet slightly embarrassed at how close he was. He broke out into a sudden smile. "I have no idea!" He said before laughing.

"Life is just one big ride to you, isn't it?" She grumbled to herself rubbing her right temple. It was _way_ to early for this. Gwenyth blinked. Early? She spun her head back to the window. Light. Morning. Daytime.

"LUFFY!" She shouted clutching the sleeve of his vest and pulling him towards her. "What happened last night?! Did we win? Are the pirates gone?"

Luffy nodded 'seriously'. "We won."

She pulled him closer in disbelief. "And they're_ gone?"_

"They're gone."

"For good?"

"Yep."

"You're sure?"

"Yep!" He grinned. Gwenyth felt the corners of her lips pull upward as a shining light entered her eyes. She squealed out of joy before throwing her arm around the boy.

"Ohmygod, ohmygod! We won, we won, we won!" She quickly let go and stood up, clearing her throat to regain composure. Luffy followed her up. He continued to smile as Gwen bounced in place like a small child at christmas. Fighting her tears of joy and excitement, she finally gave in and squealed, hugging him once again. This time bouncing.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you! Oh my gosh, we did it! We won! I could just kiss you! We won! We won! Thank you!" Luckily, he didn't seem to think she was crazy. He just laughed the way he did and returned the giddy embrace.

"So you'll join my crew now, right?"

Gwenyth nodded frantically. "Of course! I said I would, didn't I? Or, wait... _Did I?_ I think Nami might have decided it for me... But, whatever, I'd love to join your crew!" Now it was his turn to be ecstatic. Jumping up and down while shouting and hugging her. Gwenyth laughed along with his celebration before settling down. Her eyes turned downward. There was still something she needed to do.

"What's wrong, Gwen? You were happy a minute ago..." Luffy asked scrutinizing her face up close again. She pulled a smile on for the sake of her new captain and took a step back.

"It's... nothing. Um, have they started searching the other villages yet? For survivors?"

He shook his head. "Nope. Mayor Clumpy Hair said something about the hurt people here."

"So they're helping everyone who was wounded last night first? That makes sense. Is that why Doctor Yamata isn't here?

He nodded. "Dr. Clumpy Hair told me to make sure you didn't die."

Gwenyth sweat-dropped. "I'm sure he didn't say it like that... Um, I'm gonna go to Unmei now, so..." She moved around Luffy and made her way to the front door of the small clinic. "I'll be back soon."

"Can I come, too?" He asked innocently once the door handle was in her grasp. Gwenyth turned to face him and thought for a moment. Maybe it would be easier to find them if she had help. She _was_ still recovering from last night. Should she just wait for the rest of the villagers? No, she had waited long enough. She wanted- no- _needed_ to know what had happened to them. Get it all over with so she could move on with her life. Though it might be easier to deal with the inevitable if she had a shoulder to cry on...

"Okay. But let's be quick about it." She said opening the door and stepping outside. Luffy nodded in agreement and followed the girl.

The walk out of Toguchi was not as quiet as Gwen would have liked. Luffy kept poking her arm (her _bad_ arm) and asking questions. Gwenyth would lightly slap his hand away and answer as simply as she could. Reassuring him that Unmei wasn't very far _every single time_ he asked. Once they passed the last store, which sold manure and Luffy absolutely _had_ to comment on, she offered to tell him a story to shut him- er, that is, to pass the time. He happily agreed.

"As you have no doubt noticed, Tabi Island is a very small island."

"I haven't noticed at all!"

"QUIET! THAT'S JUST HOW THE STORY STARTS! _Anyway_, Tabi Island _is_ a very small island. The six villages so small and well connected, they may as well be one. And at a time, they were.

"Toguchi, much smaller than it is today, was the sole settlement of this land. Family homes doubled as shops, and shops doubled as homes. Children played as their parents worked. Five children in particular were always the talk of the town: Benjirou, Dale, Kaija, Zaara, and Unmei."

"How do you remember their names?"

"I said be quiet. They were the best of friends and incredibly competitive. They would have contests to see who was the village's _number one_.

"When they were small, it was simple things. Like, who could collect the most apples, who's room was the cleanest, who could best predict tomorrow's weather, who had the most money for sweets, etc. The older they were, the more difficult and spread out the contests became: who could chop the most trees down in a day, who could build the best boat, who could get a kiss from their dream person by the next week, who was the strongest, fastest, and so on.

"For the larger, more singular tasks, the group of friends needed a lot of space where they wouldn't be disturbed. So they made their own little hideaways, spread throughout the island; hidden from one another. They became older still. Their games were even further spread out, and were a different nature than before. Who would marry first, who could build the best house, who could have the most children.

"They chose to build their houses where their old hideouts had once been, and gladly raised their children there. Their own children, which largely helped with populating the island, built their houses close to their parents, as did their children and their children's children.

"Soon, the once hideaways were large and bustling with families. Many islanders who's forefathers lived and worked in Toguchi spread out to the smaller settlements. Choosing to live away from their work. The settlements were named after the children who had founded them: Benjirou the best writer, Dale the best carpenter, Kaija the best with animals and who birthed seventeen children, Zaara the best at growing crops, and Unmei who was the best at predicting life's outcomes.

"The main path of each small village leads straight back to the heart of Toguchi, symbolizing the connection between the people here. No matter how far we go, Toguchi will always be there. As it was the village that started it all." Gwenyth finished poetically.

"So how do you remember their names?" Luffy asked again.

"THEY'RE THE NAMES OF THE FIVE VILLAGES, DUMB-ASS! WEREN'T YOU LISTENING?"

"Not really."

"Go to fucking hell, asshole."

* * *

**I love it when people and places have names with meaning. For example: Toguchi means "Doorway", Tabi means "Journey" and Unmei means "Fate/Destiny". It was Gwenyth's ****_destiny_**** to find a ****_doorway_**** and have a ****_journey_**** in another world. Get it? ****_Geeeet itttt?_**** Do you even care? Probably not. But I'm the writer. No fucks are given.**

**For those who care: Benjirou means "Son of two speeches", Dale means "Valley", Kaija means "Pure", and Zaara means "Beautiful Flower".**


	8. How to Say Goodbye

**Alright, this one's longer than the last one... ****_I think... _**

* * *

The earth was scorched and small pieces of ash still floated in the breeze. Charcoal remains of a picket fence was there to greet them. Blackened beams surrounded by fallen debris sitting where houses once stood. Smoke still wafted lightly from some the remains. Gwenyth was holding her breath with every step. She had to stop walking and attempt to calm the painful throbbing in chest. This happened more than once.

Luffy had the decency to stay quiet each time and wait for her to start walking again. When she started to cry and grabbed his hand for comfort, he still didn't say anything. He simply kept walking; stopping when she needed to, then continuing when she was ready. It was hard to face a pain like this, the fact that she chose to keep going showed courage. Even with the tears falling so steadily from her eyes.

They reached a long walkway and Luffy couldn't keep quiet anymore. The poor girl was starting to shiver and breathe really weird.

"You okay, Gwen?"

She looked up from hyperventilating. "N-no. B-but I gotta k-keep going."

Luffy nodded and tightened the hand around hers in support. They moved towards the burnt building. More of this house stood than of the others around it. Rubble and ash was thick along the porch, half of which had been crushed by the partial collapse of the roof. They stepped carefully over the debris and walked into what was left of the living room.

"M-Maaya? K-Katsuya? Anyone h-here?" She whimpered out, letting go of Luffy and trying to search the room. The boy cupped his hands around his mouth.

"HEY GRAMPS, GRANNY! YOU IN HERE?! _HEELLLLO?_" There was no response. Gwenyth cautiously navigated down the hall, peeking her head into the different rooms and softly calling out in each one.

"COME OUT, COME OUT, WHEREVER YOU ARE!" Luffy continued to shout from somewhere in the ruins. Gwenyth followed his voice, unable to find either of her caretakers, dead or alive.

"Maybe they got out before the fire h-hit..." She said with little hope once he was located.

"Great idea!" He ran outside through the rubble. "GRANNY AND GRAMPS, COME ON OUT! I NEED TO TALK TO YOU!"

"Where did they go?" She asked herself. Gwenyth followed him, jumping lifelessly from the scorched porch and onto the charred ground.

"Hey, what's that?" Luffy questioned from the other side of the remains. Gwenyth went around to see, not letting herself become hopeful. Without even looking to where her captain was pointing, she knew exactly what it was.

"That's the hill where Katsuya and Maaya got married. They planted an apple seed during the wedding, hence the tree."

"No, not that. _That_." He emphasized.

"The swing?" Gwenyth asked turning to face it. There was a hunched figure on the small hill just beyond the house. Her eyes widened and her mouth fell open. Gwenyth bolted for the hill, leaving a confused captain behind. She rushed up the tilted slope, tripping twice. Her hurried footsteps and crying breath caught the man's attention.

"Gwenyth..." He said, almost as though he were looking at a dream. These past weeks had not been kind to him. He looked at least ten years older than she remembered. Lifeless eyes, drooping body. This couldn't really be Katsuya, could it? What could possibly have destroyed such a strong man this way?

Katsuya rose steadily with a hunched back. Behind him was a collection of flowers outlining a mound of dirt that had recently been unearthed. Gwenyth stared at the display, then back at the man not wanting to believe it. Katsuya gave a miserable nod. She couldn't breathe again. Her body was trembling and her legs gave out from the shock. Sucking in air that her lungs couldn't use, she began to bawl. Katsuya pulled her into a deep embrace. The burly man began to shake and silent tears fell from him as the child screamed into his chest.

_Why?_ It wasn't fair. Maaya. _Gone_. Sweet, loving Maaya gone just like that. So simple. _Too_ simple. Dead. But why? Gwenyth couldn't understand. Kind, smiling Maaya gone. It was all too much for her. She couldn't think, couldn't breathe. Only scream. Scream and hope the pain would somehow fade. Until her throat would bleed. Pray her heart drown so she would no longer feel it ripping apart.

Maaya was gone. Stolen. Never coming back. No more soft, overpowering voice. No more tut-tutting or sneaking sweets from Katsuya's plate. No more teaching, no more smiling. No more 'you're getting so much better, Gwen'. No more 'Dear', no more kisses on the forehead. No more 'good morning', or 'good night', or 'I love you's. No laughing. Just silence. A sleep from which she would never wake. Not even to hunt for leftover sweets in the middle of the night like she used to.

Katsuya was still here. But he was so broken. He had lost such an important piece of himself. The woman he had loved all his life. The one who was never afraid to take a stand against his booming voice. Who would chastise him and always had to have the last word. The one he stole loving glances from every chance he got. Even as old as she had become, Maaya had always been the most breathtaking woman he had ever seen. Calling him 'Darling' with that loving voice, turning him into putty with the softest touch. The same loving voice, the same soft touch, he would ever experience again. Was there such a thing as life without his Maaya beside him? If there was, he didn't want to believe in it.

"It's nice to meet you, Granny." The mourners turned to the boy, standing before the grave. "My name's Monkey D. Luffy and I'm gonna be King of the Pirates. We got rid of those bad guys, so Gwenyth's gonna join my crew and come with me. She's kind of a crybaby, but don't worry. I'll protect her so you and Gramps don't have to worry. I wont let anything bad happen to my Nakama." Luffy explained, grinning as though the old woman were right in front of him. A warm wind blew against them, and Gwenyth could almost swear Maaya was thanking him.

"I'm n-not a crybaby, asshole." She smiled softly, wiping the last of her tears.

Luffy looked to her with furrowed brows. "Yes, you are. You cry all the time."

"This is an emotional time in my life!" Gwenyth shouted jumping to her feet. "What am I supposed to do, laugh everything off?!"

"Yes."

"FUCK _THAT!_" She marched up to her captain. "I'm not a stone! I'm a teenage girl with hormones and a lot of shit going on in her life. I can't just laugh my problems away, it doesn't work like that!"

"Why not? Works for me."

"THAT'S ONLY _YOU_, YOU DUMB-ASS CAPTAIN!"

"Really?"

"Yes."

"How?"

"How should I know?"

"You said it..."

"Doesn't mean I know it."

Katsuya watched their banter silently. That boy? Pirate King? The old man couldn't see it. He looked more like a fisherman. Was Gwenyth really joining a pirate crew? Pirates were the reason Maaya was dead, but this one said he had gotten rid of them. He looked to his wife's grave. Was he supposed to be okay with this? Gwen leaving? And no doubt for the Grand Line if her captain (was this kid really a captain?) wanted to be Pirate King. It would be dangerous. She could get hurt, or worse _killed._ He will have lost everyone and wouldn't even know it.

'_Don't worry. I'll protect her... I wont let anything bad happen to my Nakama.'_ the boy had said. Well, he _better._ Katsuya would find him and murder the kid himself if anything happened to Gwen. He could feel his blood boiling just at the thought.

A light wind brushed against his skin, almost scolding the man. _Now, now, _it seemed to say. _Can't you see they'll be fine, darling?_ Katsuya huffed in response. Even in death Maaya had to put her two-cents in. The old man looked to the still bickering teens.

"And she's right", he sighed. "As usual."

"Who're you talking to, Gramps?"

"WHO SAID YA COULD CALL ME 'GRAMPS', BOY!?"

* * *

"Okay," Gwenyth sighed, giving the container to Nami with her one hand. "I think that's the last of it..." She said wiping the sweat off her brow.

"Is it really okay to take _all _of it?" The redhead asked from her place on the boat.

Gwenyth nodded. "Katsuya said he didn't want to have to look at any of it, so..."

"Right..." She mumbled, looking down at the box of sewing materials. "Well, I'm here if you need someone to talk to. Us girls have to stick together," Nami insisted with a coy smile. Gwenyth sweat-dropped, remembering the night before when her shipmate had run off. Even if she took the larger sum of pirates with her, Nami did _technically_ abandon her. Never the less, Gwen thanked her new friend and told her she'd keep it in mind.

She looked to the other ship, the one that the guys apparently used, and saw Smith Black and his wife handing Luffy a few bags of food. The boy's eyes popped out and Gwenyth had a feeling those bags wouldn't last them long. Doctor Yamata walked up to the girls' ship with a bag of his own and handed it to Gwenyth. She peeked into it, noting a large amount of bandages and a small container of some sort. Dr. Yamata turned to Nami.

"She needs to change the wrapping daily and apply the ointment I've supplied until it runs out. Only a small amount should be needed. Don't let her stretch or use her arm too much for then next week and a half. If she keeps the area clean of bacteria, her arm should be better in two weeks, give or take."

Nami nodded while Gwenyth sweat-dropped. "You _do_ know I'm right here, right?"

"Yes," he turned to her while patting his hair down," but I also know you wont do such things _daily_ unless someone forces you. And this young woman seems to be the most responsible of the bunch. No doubt _she'll_ want the seamstress' to become better quickly." He said with a knowing look. Nami's face suddenly lit up, as if remembering that Gwenyth couldn't make her free clothes until her arm was well again.

"Don't worry, Doctor! I'll make sure she's back to sewing in no time!" Her eyes aflame with determination.

Gwenyth pouted, wanting to cross her arms. _Of course_ he would tell the one with the alternate motive. She handed Nami the bag, grumbling about the 'unfair', 'cheating' doctor. He laughed and patted the girl's head.

"Oh, I'm going to miss you, Gwenyth."

She hugged the Doctor as best she could. "I'll miss you too, Doc." They let go and walked away from the ship. The remaining islanders were spread out along the beach, ready to see her off. In front of the crowd stood Katsuya and the mayor. The mayor walked forward, meeting Gwenyth and his brother halfway.

"So, you're off now? Well, be sure to have fun. Be safe though! We don't want to hear any bad news coming from the Grand Line."

She nodded, still smiling. "Right. Fuck up while in the East Blue, but be super awesome on the Grand Line. Got it."

The Twins laughed. "**The island certainly wont be the same without your sense of humor!**" They said together.

"By that I assume you mean my sailor's mouth?"

"... **_Maaaaaybeeee_**..." They looked away, smoothing out their clumpy hair while avoiding her stare. She laughed before pulling the mayor into a one armed hug.

"Don't worry, I'll be okay." She promised letting go. Mayor Yamata smiled and rubbed the girl's right arm affectionately.

"I know you'll make us proud."

"Outta my way ya blasted doppelgangers!" Katsuya belted pushing the two men aside.

"**Oi! Stop calling us that!**"

Katsuya sent an icy glare over his shoulder.

"**U-U-Unless that's w-w-what you w-w-want to call us, of course!**" They said walking full speed backwards. Katsuya huffed at their antics before returning his attention to the girl before him.

"This is it, eh? Leaving Tabi Island for some adventure at sea? As a pirating seamstress, no less? _Hmph. _Well, don't come back crying with yer tail between yer legs, kid."

"I'll miss you, too, you old jerk." She chuckled at his attempt to be unaffected by her leaving. His beard fell a little, indicating a frown, and he crossed his arms.

"_Feh! _Kids from other worlds these days. No respect."

"Yep, I'm a horrible person!" She confirmed before her smile fell. "Are you sure this is okay? I can stay, ya know... If you want me to..."

Katsuya shook his stubborn head. "No. Just because I'm old doesn't mean I don't understand how life works anymore. A taste of adventure's good for young people. Gives 'em interesting stories to tell their grandchildren. And who'd want you here, anyway? Not me. No, sir. Too much of an annoying crybaby."

"I'M NOT A FUCKING CRYBABY, GOD DAMN IT!"

"YEA YA ARE! DON'T LIE AND SHOUT AT YER ELDERS!

"WHAT ELDER?! I JUST SEE A BIG BEARDED CHILD!"

"YA LITTLE RUNT!" He cleared his throat. "Anyway, here. I want ya to take this, too." He said handing Gwenyth a picture frame. "I haven't pulled it out in a long while. Don't imagine I'll be looking at again any time soon, either."

The picture was a few years old and held six adults and one small child. The Mayor and Doctor were smiling in a sneaky fashion, both pulling the bunny-ears on the other. Somehow, their clumpy hair looked more unruly than it did now. Maaya and Katsuya were beside them, holding each other lovingly with a few wrinkles missing. Their eyes shining with love and warmth for one another. The last group of people was much younger. The man and woman were in their early twenties, for sure. The little girl no older than two or three. The man had Katsuya's hight and Maaya's facial features. The girl had his dark hair and the same bright blue eyes as her mother.

"Hannah..." Gwenyth whispered, tears prickling her own sea-green eyes. Her cousin's hair was a lighter shade of blonde than her own. She looked so happy in her husband's arms, holding her child. Life was perfect then. For all of them.

"Thought ya might want something to remember us by..."

"Yeah, I... I'll keep it safe..." She said looking back up at the man, telling herself not to cry. "Thank you. Thank you so much, Katsuya."

He nodded before a little boy rushed up to her, grabbing at her shirt.

"You can't go, Gwen-chan! You can't! You promised you'd sing for us! You promised!" He shouted, tears spilling onto her leg. The other children quickly scurried over, crying as well. Trying to keep her with them for just a little longer. Gwenyth bent down, placing the picture in her lap and swept the boy's hair out of his face.

"I know. I didn't forget. What song do you want me to sing, Hikaru?"

The little boy shrugged pitifully. Gwen looked up to the surrounding children for an answer. None could give one. They just stared up at her waiting for their last song. It broke her resolve, and she felt her heart crumbling.

"No requests? Okay then..." She paused for a moment, and cleared her throat. This song would be for everyone on Tabi Island, not just the children. Was there something she could sing in this state and _not_ cry her eyes out? She wanted to say goodbye, but she didn't want it to be forever. She didn't want anyone to think she would never return. What was happening today was just another part of life. Life moves on, and so do people, but it doesn't have to be forever.

A song popped into her head. It was neither Disney nor a showtune, but it felt like it was perfect for this goodbye.

"_Another turning point, a fork stuck in the road. Time grabs you by the wrist, directs you where to go. So make the best of this test and don't ask why. It's not a question but a lesson learned in time." _She continued to sing as the children burst into loud crying fits. Gwenyth caressed their cheeks and brushed their hair trying to calm them. She looked out to the adults to see tears falling from some of their faces. Other's, too proud to cry, were biting their lips, unable to look at her.

_"For what it's worth, it was worth all the while. It's something unpredictable, but in the end it's right. I hope you had the time of your life."_ She repeated the chorus two more times and held out the last note as long as she could. Nothing but silence. The parents of the crying children came and took them away from the girl, mumbling 'thank you's and 'goodbye's. Gwenyth reclaimed the picture, and stood. She turned around and headed for the boat, wiping her own tears with her right forearm. She stopped right in front of it, not sure how to get in without using both hands.

A squeal escaped her when large, rough hands lifted her up. They brought her to the ship's edge, which she scooped her legs over. She was released once her feet were firmly on the floor. Gwenyth turned around to a teary eyed Katsuya. She placed the picture on the floor and flung herself at the burly man, leaning dangerously over the edge. He held her tight and gave her a kiss on the top of her head.

"You come back safe, ya hear?" He said with a shaking voice she had never heard. She let go and squeezed his hand.

"Of course."

With that, Katsuya let her go and pushed the ship into the sea. The boys' ship cast off right after them. Gwenyth held on to the edge with everything she had. At this moment, she didn't want to go. Goodbye was always the hardest part, but she knew she'd regret it if she stayed. She owed these people so much, she owed _Luffy_ so much. Going with them and offering all she could was the closest she would ever come to being able to repaying them. Nami knelt down beside the crying girl and rubbed her back.

"You'll be back someday." She cooed.

"You gonna be okay, Gwen?" Luffy asked from the other boat. Gwenyth nodded, not trusting her voice.

"OI! STRAW HAT!" The group looked back to the shore. "YOU BETTER TAKE _DAMN_ GOOD CARE OF MY GRANDDAUGHTER, OR I'LL KILL YA, YA HEAR?!" Katsuya bellowed with tears steaming from his eyes.

"**THAT'S RIGHT! WE'LL GET YOU!**" The Mayor and Doctor shouted as well, jumping beside him. More and more villagers rushed to the shoreline making threats.

"Sure is a nice island you got here." Zoro commented with amusement. A loud, childish laughter rang out above everything and the pirates turned to their captain.

"OF COURSE I WILL!"

A slow smile grew onto Gwenyth's lips. She jumped up to her feet and began to wave.

"BYE EVERYONE! I'LL BE BACK! DON'T FORGET ME LIKE A BUNCH OF ASSHOLES! I LOVE YOU, GRANDPA!"

They all shouted back their own goodbyes and promises, smiles dawning their crying faces. Her grandpa silent, but a smile was etched behind his beard.

"Love you, too, kid."

* * *

**Not gonna lie. I kinda sorta got a little emotional writing this..****_. _****Emotions. ****_Yuck_****.**

**(Gwenyth you are ****_such_**** an over-emotional, anger-management-needing crybaby. Just accept it.)**


	9. Liar, Lair, Pants On Fire

**Gwenyth now officially refers to Maaya and Katsuya as her Grandma and Grandpa. She calls her real grandparents Mamie and Papy, just so you know. Though I have no clue why she would start talking about them...**

**I had a snarky comment here, but a lovely review from a guest named Vira made me too happy to be mean. Thank you for your kind words! :)**

* * *

"I'm hungry!"

"You're _always_ hungry."

"So?"

"So, deal with it."

"But _Gweeeeeeenythhhhhhh_ I'm _hunnnnngrrrrrrrrry!"_

"YOU'RE THE ONE THAT ATE EVERYTHING MRS. BLACK MADE FOR US, ASSHOLE!"

"It was tasty!"

"Well, I wouldn't know that, now would I?"

"I dunno. Would you?"

She sighed. "No, Luffy. I wouldn't."

"Will the two of you shut up? I can't sleep with you bickering like this!" Zoro shouted from somewhere on the other ship.

"We're not bickering! We're having a very enlightening conversation! Right, Luffy?" Gwenyth shouted from the floor of Nami's ship.

"Right!" She heard him reply, unable to see him. "Hey, Gwenyth?"

"Yeah?"

"What's en-hightening?"

"That's en-_light_-ening. Basically means to make something clear."

"Hey, Gwenyth?"

_"Yes?"_

"I'm hungry."

The girl growled, pushing herself into a sitting position with her right hand. Her left arm was no longer in a sling, but she still couldn't move it without a good amount of strain. Which she was meant to avoid. She turned to the boys' ship to find Luffy already staring, sitting cross-legged on the front of the boat. The part that lingered over the sea. She made note of how easy it would be to push him into the ocean while sitting there.

"What do you want _me_ to do about it?" She demanded. The boy shrugged, and she sighed in defeat. "Luffy, I can literally do _nothing_ about your hunger. So please, stop complaining."

He crossed his arms and pouted, glaring at the water before him. "_Fiiiiiiiine._'' Gwenyth took this moment to lay back down and stare up at the sky once more. She didn't believe Luffy's silence would last long, but she would take what she could get.

They had been at sea for little more than a week and they were already out of food, thanks to their dumb-ass, bottomless pit of a captain. Gwenyth honestly didn't understand how someone could eat so much, so often and not explode. Then again there were a lot of things about Luffy she didn't understand. Or the rest of the crew for that matter. Maybe she just didn't understand people of this world in general. That was possible, too.

"Hey, Nami?" She called out, unsure of the navigator's location. She heard a response from somewhere behind her. "We aren't headed for the Grand Line without any food on-board, right?"

"Of course not. It'd be way too rash sailing to the Grand Line like _this_." She explained.

"Right. We need meat." Luffy attempted to clarify.

"I'M NOT TALKING ABOUT FOOD!"

"She's right," Zoro said, putting his two-cents in. "We don't have a drop of grog on board."

"NO!"

"We need beds?" Gwenyth offered sitting up. "I'd like a bed..."

Nami sighed in exasperation at her shipmates. She began to go into detail on the Grand Line and how it was the most dangerous sea lane in the world. How other, more powerful pirates were going after something called 'One Piece'. Which they were apparently going after, as well. Gwenyth had no idea. She was only here to repay the crew for Tabi Island's safety, and for her own slice of adventure. What good was going to a new world if you only stayed in one place? Even if she _did_ miss her island dearly. Nami continued to inform the group of how they paled in comparison to other pirates' ships and crews.

"So what should we do?" Luffy asked, apparently understanding the report.

"Plan ahead and prepare!" Nami answered swiftly, checking her map. "There's a village a little south of here..."

"We should go there and get some food." Gwenyth mumbled holding her stomach with her hands.

"LET'S EAT MEAT!" Luffy shouted in excitement.

"Our **_first _**priority is to get a proper ship!"

"I dunno, Nami. Food is pretty important." Gwenyth said gaining an innocent look in her eyes. "I wonder, could a lack of nutrition slow my arm's recovery rate? I might lose some of my skill if it takes too long to heal, ya know." A total lie. She hardly used her left arm when sewing, aside from holding the material. In fact, she would probably be able to start sewing again without hinderance in a few days. But Nami didn't need to know that.

She groaned. "Alright, alright. We'll find a restaurant first, _then_ a vessel." Gwenyth and Luffy cheered as Nami adjusted her ship's course and shouted instructions to the boys.

"Can I help, Nami?" Gwenyth asked with hope. She hadn't been allowed to do much of anything since they set sail. Nami was so adamant about Gwenyth not straining her arm, that she didn't even let the seamstress play Rock, Paper, Scissors with her _right_ hand. Pretty much all she had been doing for the past week was mourning Grandma, reading one of the old sewing books Grandpa insisted she take, and playing eye-spy with her captain. He regularly chose the colors blue, gold, and yellow; the sea, Gwenyth's hair, and his hat.

"No, I'm alright." Nami grinned as Gwenyth's face fell. "Have you changed your wrappings yet?"

Gwenyth suppressed a sigh. "Yes, I change them every morning when I wake-up." She repeated for the third time that day.

Nami nodded happily, commenting on how at this rate, the seamstress was bound to be well enough to make her some clothes in no time. Gwenyth just went along with it, not wanting to be hit for another smart-ass comment. Even if she found Nami's personality a little overbearing at times, she still enjoyed her company immensely.

"Thank you for taking such good care of me, Nami." Though her avaricious intentions tend to outshine it, Gwenyth could feel the older girl's sincere concern for her well-being.

"Don't mention it. I merely expect to have the best clothing out of everyone in return." She said smiling shamelessly. Gwenyth sweat-dropped. Or maybe Nami was really just that greedy.

"R-Right." She agreed in defeat. "So, how far are we from this place?"

Nami double checked her map. "Not far at all. It shouldn't take us more than a half an hour."

"Awesome."

"Hey, Gwenyth?"

"I swear to god, Luffy, tell me your hungry one more time and I'll bite you."

"Don't bite me." He said pouting.

"Then don't tell me you're hungry."

"Okay. Will you sing for us?"

"SURE!" Gwenyth shouted, jumping to her feet and nearly falling over from the sudden motion.

"CAREFUL!" Nami screeched.

* * *

The girls' ship was the first to arrive at the island's coast and Nami easily hopped out. The boys reached the shore while Gwenyth was still crawling over the side, her tiny shield back in place. She refused to leave it or her knife on the boat, which she had to explain to the boys was out of sentiment; not fear. Nami actually had to lock up Gwenyth's picture with her stolen treasure to keep the girl from bringing it ashore. Zoro and Nami thought it was a little weird, Gwenyth could tell, but she didn't care. She needed to know her precious items were safe at all times. Luffy simply didn't comment. Gwenyth assumed he didn't care what she did, as long as she'd occasionally sing for him and make clothing once her arm was fully healed.

Speaking of her captain, he was currently in awe of the island being where Nami had said it would be. Which was kind of sad.

"Geeze. Have a little more faith in your navigator, Luffy." Gwenyth said shaking her head.

"But I _never_ know where islands are gonna be."

"Hence why you're not the navigator." She explained as he and Zoro climbed onto land.

_"Ahhh!" _Zoro stretched. "Solid ground at last!"

"You slept the whole way." Luffy countered.

Gwenyth, having never been on a boat for so long before, had to admit it was nice being on land again. Though at the same time she kind of felt uneasy without the constant sway of waves. She turned around to get a good look a the island. It was plenty green with trees and grass all around. The terrain a little bit rocky and some mountains off in the distance. It was pretty serene.

Gwenyth was never really exposed to nature back in her world. Even on the rare occasion, most of the nature around her 'City of Angles' held dry, brownish hues from the hot sun. It was pretty in its own right, but not so much as places like Tabi and this island. So green and perfectly cool with a warm, smog-free breeze. She took a deep breath just to drink it all in.

"So," Zoro started," what do you think is up with _those_ guys?" He pointed to a fallen tree on top of a small, nearby cliff. His three crewmates finally took notice of a group of children and a boy about their age with a rather long nose. The children screamed and ran off while the older boy shouted after them, looking ready to crap his pants.

"Do you have, like, a sixth sense for noticing people in bushes?" Gwenyth asked curiously. Zoro gave her an unamused look, as though he thought she were insulting him, but she just continued to wait for an answer.

"I AM THE NOTORIOUS CAPTAIN USOPP! FEARED PIRATE, AND RULER OF THIS VILLAGE!" Long nose shouted, suddenly in front of the group. "So you'd better think twice before you invade! I have 80 million men positioned to stop you."

"As if." "Liar." The girls said simultaneously.

"DARN! THEY SAW THROUGH ME!" He shouted panicking. The girls shared a sweat-drop.

"He even admitted it..." Nami mumbled.

Gwenyth nodded as 'Captain Usopp' spazzed out at their 'master interrogating skills'. "He's an odd one alright..." She glanced unsurely over at Luffy as he began to laugh.

"HEY, ARE YOU LAUGHING AT ME!?" The odd boy shouted at the Straw Hat. "I'm a proud man! Which is why they call me 'Proud Captain Usopp'!" Luffy laughed harder and Gwenyth's shoulders began to shake, which kind of hurt.

"Why such an odd name?" Nami asked.

"IT'S NOT ODD!"

"Sounds odd to me." Zoro added.

"IT'S NOT! THEY REALLY CALL ME 'CAPTAIN PROUD USOPP'!"

"I thought it was the other way around..." Nami pointed out.

Usopp spazzed in a noodle-like fashion again, calling her a master interrogator. The whole thing made Gwenyth and Luffy laugh harder than it should have.

"S-So, '_Proud Captain Usopp'_," Gwenyth said, still catching her breath. "C-Can you show us where to get something to eat?"

"OF COURSE! I, THE GREAT PIRATE CAPTAIN USOPP- Hey, wait," he said getting his head out of the clouds. "Something to eat? You mean... You're not here to attack the village?"

"No, of course not." She insisted.

Luffy turned to her. "How come everyone always thinks we wanna attack them?"

"Because that's what most pirates _do?"_ Gwenyth cocked her head to the side. Wasn't that obvious?

"They do?"

"They do." She confirmed.

"That's not very nice." He huffed.

"No one ever said pirates were nice."

"So can we have food?" He asked Usopp, changing conversation. Gwenyth rolled her eyes at Luffy's lack of attention, but couldn't really blame him since she was hungry, too.

* * *

Usopp lead the group to his village's inn, which doubled as a restaurant. Gwenyth jumped into the first available booth and Luffy quickly followed suit, nearly knocking into her. They began to bounce in their seats as Luffy started chanting for meat, meat, meat. Zoro and Nami scooted in across from them as Usopp pulled a chair up to the table. The owner greeted them and Nami had to put Luffy into a headlock for everyone else to get their order in.

Gwenyth really enjoyed her crew's antics. It was entertaining and kept her from thinking too hard about things. Even in the past week, whenever she would start to get depressed over Tabi, or her Grandparents, or her old world, something would happen and pull her out of it. Usually that something was either Luffy or Luffy-related. She was very grateful for her crewmates.

When the food finally came, everyone needed to brandish their forks to keep Luffy's hands away. Gwen was a little less grateful for him at that moment. She didn't have that large of an appetite to begin with, but when she was hungry she was _hungry_. Even growing up, she would either bite or stab the hands of someone trying to steal from her plate. Anything to let them know that her food was _hers._ Then, after a few more bites, she would be full and offer the rest to whoever had tried to steal it.

_Old habits die hard, I guess_, she mused stabbing her captain with a fork. He quickly recoiled and went back to his own food. Gwenyth took about three more bites before handing Luffy her plate, feeling ready to pop. He took it graciously, seeming to forget the prong marks forming on his hand.

Seeing as how Gwenyth was finished and he had only ordered a small dish, Usopp decided to strike up a conversation.

"So what else brings you here? Just food?"

Gwenyth hummed as she thought. "Well, no. We're also looking for a proper ship, and possibly some more crewmates. Right?" She double checked with Luffy, who nodded at her with his mouth full, but thankfully closed.

"REALLY?! Wow, what an adventure!"

Gwenyth chuckled at his enthusiasm. "Know any place we can find one?"

"Well, you wont find any galleons here in town, but their _is _a place you can go." He said knowingly. Gwenyth nodded, not having the slightest clue what a gal-what-en was.

"Where?" Nami asked finishing her meal.

"The huge mansion that sticks out like a sore thumb, that's where! The owner is a young girl... and she's bedridden."

"How did she become the owner of a mansion?"

"More meat please!" Luffy shouted waving a plate in the air with a bone sticking out his mouth.

''And more grog!" Zoro added with his empty cup raised.

"ARE YOU GUYS LISTENING TO MY STORY!?"

"Ignore them. Why is she bedridden?" Gwenyth asked curiously.

Usopp did as she said and ignored the guys, telling the mansion owner's tale. The poor girl lost her parents to sickness about a year ago. They left her with a large sum of money and a dozen loyal servants, but she hadn't been well enough to leave her bed since their death. As well off as she was money wise, there was no one less fortunate than her in the village. Nami and Gwenyth shared a quick, deciding look.

"Forget it. We're not gonna find a ship here." Nami voiced.

"Right. I'm sure we'll find another town that 'll be able to help us." Gwenyth finished looking at Luffy.

"Okay. I guess we can spare the time. Let's grab some supplies and go." He grinned.

"'Spare the time'? Are we in that much of a hurry?"

"Of course!"

Gwenyth made a "hm" noise and gave him an odd look. Was the Grand Line was really so popular? And was that One Piece thing so important? She'd have to remember to ask sometime.

"By the way, you said you were looking for crewmen..."

"That's right." Luffy said turning his attention to Usopp.

"I'm your man!" He said gesturing himself with his thumb. "I'll be your captain!"

"**No thanks!**" Everyone responded at once.

"DON'T YOU WANT TO THINK IT OVER!?"

"Luffy's the only captain I'm down to follow." Gwenyth said childishly sticking her tongue out. Luffy was giddy with delight. To her it was simply how it had to be. Luffy was her captain and, as much as she liked the other two, she probably wouldn't have agreed to join this lifestyle if it were any other way.

While she and Grandpa had been packing up Grandma's supplies, Mayor Yamata had told them of Luffy and Zoro's triumph against the enemy pirates. He went into such detail of their skill, Gwenyth had felt like she had witnessed it herself. Zoro slashed and hashed those suckers like it was nothing and Luffy apparently had some type of devil power which made him stretch like rubber. She didn't understand much of that bit, but he was an unmistakable powerhouse according to the Mayor. Luffy had even saved the Yamata twins from being shot to death by deflecting bullets off his body. (Gwenyth kinda, sorta wanted to shoot Luffy just to see how such a thing was possible.)

Saving Tabi Island was more than enough to become indebted to him. That wasn't even including the emotional support he had given her while searching for her Grandparents, or later helping Katsuya walk back to Toguchi when she was unable. Though he was childish and an idiot, he had her respect and unending gratitude. She owed him more than could ever be repaid. Because of that, Gwenyth would be loyal to him for the rest of her time in this world. Which might very well be for the rest of her life.

He had a cute face, too. But, hey, she was only human. A human _teenager_, at that! Gwenyth couldn't help but notice such things.

Usopp sighed in defeat. "I see. Good to know you're the loyal type, I guess." He grumbled looking away from the group. His eyes widened for a moment when they reached a clock on the wall. He stood, pulled some money out of his pockets and placed it on the table.

"Well, it was nice meeting you, but it's time for me to go!" Usopp said heading out of the inn.

"What a weird guy..." Zoro mumbled before taking a drink from the alcohol that had been placed in front of him. Luffy quickly finished the plate of meat and Nami, being the only one with money on her, paid the owner as the table was cleared. The four were finishing off the last of their drinks when three young boys burst from the doorway.

"**Usopp's pirates are here!**" they shouted. The older group began to mumble to one another.

"Who're they?"

"Beats me."

"They look familiar though..."

The boys advanced with their wooden swords. "Hey, you pirates!" One yelled. "What'd you do with out captain?"

"Give him back!"

"_AHHH!"_ Luffy shouted in refreshment, putting down his cup. "That meat was delicious!"

The children gasped.

"M-MEAT?!"

"THE CAPTAIN! H-HE COULDN'T HAVE-!"

Gwenyth smirked and began to lick her fingers. "I agree. It was..._ to die for._" She emphasized. Luffy nodded at her, not realizing that she was playing with the idea he had given the children.

"You should've had more!" He smiled.

She returned a dangerous smirk, and got closer to him. "_Maybe~_ But I know how much you've been _craving_ it since we've been out at sea." The children looked ready to cry and Gwenyth had to fight against her laughter.

"If you're looking for your captain... " Zoro began.

"**WHAT!? WHAT DID YOU DO TO HIM?!**" The three shouted fearfully.

Zoro put on a demonic look. "... We ate him!"

The children screamed bloody murder and called Nami an Ogress with tears in their eyes.

She shrieked with a terrifying face, "WHY ARE YOU LOOKING AT ME!?" The children fainted as Zoro and Gwenyth pounded the table in laughter. "IT'S NOT FUNNY!" Nami shrieked again, only making Gwenyth laugh harder.

* * *

**Don't be mean to children, Gwenyth. That's my job.**


	10. Cry Wolf

**VIRA, YOU ARE TOO NICE TO ME! ;_; Thank you for another kind review. It made me so happy that I got sad! ****_HOW DOES THAT EVEN HAPPEN?!_**

**(This is totally how haki works, right? ****_Right? _****I tried my best...)**

* * *

The boys came back around to the laughter and Gwen apologized for scaring them, claiming that she couldn't resist. The swordsman made no indication of being sorry, but told them that Usopp had left a few minutes saying 'it was time to go'.

"'Time to go'?" One of them repeated.

"That's what he said. Then he left." Zoro informed them.

"It was probably time for him to go to the mansion." The one who looked like a pepper commented.

"Where the sick girl lives?" Nami questioned.

"Yeah."

"Why would he go there?" Luffy asked with interest.

"To tell lies!" The purple haired boy commented.

"That's not very nice." Luffy sweat-dropped.

The children began to insist that it _was_ nice. _Very_ nice. The older group looked to each other puzzled, and shared a shrug. The pepper boy explained how their captain would go to the mansion everyday and tell the owner stories. Just to make her smile.

"Awww, how sweet~" Gwenyth cooed. "How long has he been doing that?"

"For the past year." The boy with the onion head smiled, proud of his lying captain.

"That's what I like about the captain, he's a meddler!" Purple hair commented.

"I like him 'cause he's so bossy!" Pepper boy exclaimed.

"I like him 'cause he's boastful!" Onion head said with equal enthusiasm.

Zoro, along with the rest of his crewmates, sweat-dropped. "He's... sure got a lot of good qualities."

"Hey, the girl's spirits must not be too low then!" Luffy pointed out eagerly.

"That's right. Thanks to the captain!" Purple answered.

"_Luffy..._" Gwenyth warned, but it was too late.

"WELL THAT SETTLES IT! LET'S GO ASK HER TO GIVE US A SHIP!"

She sighed as Nami shouted at him. "But we already decided **_against_** that idea!"

"And wouldn't it be rude for us to just pop up and ask for a ship like that? We've never even met her!" Gwenyth added, nevertheless scooting out of the booth.

"She'll be okay with it, as long as she's happy!" Luffy explained. Nami gave up, groaning, as Gwen sweat-dropped.

"Fine. But while you guys do that, I'm gonna go shopping for supplies."

"Eh?" Luffy's face fell a little. "You don't wanna come?"

"No. I'd feel really insulting if I did."

"That's fine," Nami grumbled, "I made a list of things we need. This is all the money I'm giving you, so don't waste it!" Pulling out a piece of paper and a small pouch, Nami handed the items over to the seamstress; who simply nodded and held them. "Aren't you gonna put them away somewhere?"

"What's wrong with holding 'em?"

"You might misplace my money. Or someone might take it when you're not looking!"

"Oh." Gwenyth looked down at her clothes. All she had on was a simple navy blue, pocketless A-line dress and black, pocketless leggings. Both of which she had sewn herself, pocketless-ly, under Maaya's watchful eye. Without pockets. "Um... Maybe I can... put it in my... _bra?"_

Nami face-palmed, while nearly all the guys blushed. "Never mind..."

"What's a_ 'bra'?"_ Her captain, the only _non_-blushing boy, asked.

"Uh... It's... a... type of undershirt..." She explained, turning scarlet.

"Can you make me one?"

"... Maybe once my arm's better..." She said vaguely, leaving the building as quickly as she could. A loud smack could be heard once she was outside, along with a yelling Nami. Gwenyth shook her head and continued walking towards what appeared to be a marketplace. Putting the money in her left hand, she noted a lack of strain in her arm. Holding the list with her right hand, she read off the contents. It wasn't much, just water, some foods, grog, and toiletries.

"Simple enough," she mumbled to herself. Gwen started to skip but immediately stopped, as her arm shouted in protest. She entered a butcher shop and glanced around.

"Can I help you?"

Gwenyth jumped and turned to the sudden voice. A woman in her thirties stood behind the counter, smiling at her.

"Yeah. Uh... What do you have that won't spoil too quickly?"

The woman gave her an odd look. "No meat spoils too quickly when it's properly frozen and stored."

"We don't have one." Gwenyth smiled.

"Don't have what? A freezer?"

"Or refrigerator. No room on the ship." She explained simply. The woman looked at her in disbelief.

"Well... There _are_ different techniques to keep meat from perishing without a refrigerator, but none of my meats are prepared in such a way. I usually only deal with the villagers here, not seafarers."

"Oh..." Gwenyth thought for a moment. "What about beef jerky? That stuff's _never_ refrigerated."

The woman nodded. "You'll need to go a few shops down if you want some. All the meat I sell goes bad within a few hours if you leave it out. You might want to invest in some less perishable foods. Like, I don't know, fruits or snacks."

"Aren't fruits perishable, too?"

"Not as much as meat." The woman paused for a moment, looking Gwenyth up and down. "You don't know much about food, do you?"

"No, I don't. Thanks for the information." Gwenyth walked out, grumbling some curses under her breath. Luffy wouldn't be happy without some meat on-board. Though, it wouldn't have lasted long according to the butcher lady.

Since all of the meat Mrs. Black had cooked them was eaten within a few hours, Gwenyth honestly hadn't even thought of it going bad. She wasn't food oriented at all. In fact, it seemed that _none _of her crewmates were. She would have thought Nami might've been at least a little knowledgeable, yet she was the one who had put cold cut meat on the list. It was kind of embarrassing. They would need somebody who knew about food if they didn't want to die at sea. Maybe a chef or something. And a refrigerator. _Definitely _a refrigerator.

Gwenyth walked through the streets, haggling fruit from the few venders there, wandering in and out different shops. She couldn't help notice this place wasn't at all like Toguchi. Then again, Toguchi was more of a small, tight-knit city. This village was quaint with spread out homes, a handful of shops, and a few special practices. There wasn't a huge selection anywhere; which was probably for the best when it came Gwenyth's lack of food-knowledge.

Soon, she had everything on her list but cold cuts, though she made up for that with beef jerky. (Which _totally_ counts as the same thing, right? I mean, it _is_ a type of meat. And it _was_ cold and cut up at some point. _Right?_) She used the skirt of her dress to carry everything back to the boats. Singing out 'Be Prepared' from the Lion King, Gwenyth easily followed the slight clearing of trees back to where they had docked. Constantly reminding herself not to skip, and nearly tripping down the steep slope.

Once she reached the ships, she simply tossed the things over the side, not bothering to try and clamber in. She and Nami could sort them away somewhere when they left. Lightly stretching her left arm, Gwenyth rubbed her pulling muscles gently. It was sore, but the pain felt good as it was slowly massaged away.

She was making her way back to the village to find her friends when her heart unexpectedly dropped. A sudden sense of impending doom filled her to the brim. Something had happened. She had no idea _what_, but she knew something really bad had just happened. Gwenyth's eyes flickered up and down the pathway for some sort of a clue as to what caused this realization. Finding none, she rushed towards the village. She held her left arm close to her body, trying to keep the bouncing to a minimal, and therefore the pain. Abruptly, she stopped.

An uneasy glance was thrown to her left. Something was telling her to turn here. Gwenyth didn't want to steer off the only course she knew, but her subconscious screamed at her to do so. She swayed uneasily from side to side, fighting between her mind and the intense urge. Finally giving in, she rushed into the woods towards the direction of the pull. Silently praying it wouldn't lead her to an untimely death. In a flash, someone zipped past her at an incredible speed. Gwenyth screamed and jumped back before watching the person run in the direction of the village.

"U... Usopp?" She questioned lightly, but the man was already out of sight. _What the hell was that about?,_ she wondered, turning the way he had fled. The pull she had felt was once in that direction, but it was gone now. Curious, Gwenyth forced herself to continue without the internal guide from before. She reached a large cliff with a single tree and a sparkling view of the ocean. Caught breathless, she stood there soaking in the blue majesty of sea and sky before bringing herself back into reality.

The Gwenyth edged forward carefully, inching closer to the cliff's end. Once she was convinced she couldn't go any further without falling, she settled onto her knees and leaned over with her hands on the ledge. Looking down, the girl nearly lost her grip and fell. Just below her, was her captain. Sprawled out in an unnatural fashion. She rapidly surveyed the sides of the cliff, searching for a manageable way down. The only one she could see was far to her right. Gwenyth jumped to her feet and rushed towards it.

Using both hands, she helped herself down as carefully as she could in her hurried state. Her left arm protested, but the surge of emotions inside her kept the pain from reaching her conscious thought. Only one thing repeated inside her mind: _That _**_can't_**_ be Luffy._

Reaching the bottom of the cliffside, Gwenyth held her left arm and ran back to the boy she had seen. That _couldn't_ be Luffy. It just couldn't be! Could it? Sure enough, it was. Gwenyth looked back up to the top of the cliff. _Did... Did he fall?_ She turned back to him and felt the water stinging her eyes.

"O-Oh, Luffy... You... You i-idiot..." She said picking up his hat and crying into it. Was it her? Was she cursed? Hannah's important people died, _too._ Maybe the people from her world caused death to the people in this one? Oh god. Was it _her_ fault they had died? A loud, sudden snore made Gwenyth squeal and pulled her from her thoughts. She looked over to Luffy in his unnatural position, body resting on a bent neck, legs over his torso. He snored again.

"He's... _sleeping?_" She whispered, then sighed. A wave of relief washed over her, followed quickly by realization. "**_SLEEPING!? _**HERE I AM, CRYING OVER YOUR DEATH, AND YOU'RE FUCKING **_SLEEPING_**_, MOTHER FUCKER!? _I DON'T THINK SO!" Gwenyth stomped over to him, pushed him onto his back, and began to pull at his face. Hardly noticing the elasticity in her rage. "WAKE THE FUCK UP SO I CAN FUCKING KILL YOU, YOU SHIT-FACED PIECE OF FUCK!" She shot up and kicked his body as hard as she could, sending him straight into the cliffside. Deep, seething breaths made her chest rise and fall dramatically as she eyed the dust cloud furiously.

"Well _that_ was interesting." A cool voice said from behind her. Gwenyth quickly straightened up, and wiped away any evidence of tears before turning to face her crewmates. Zoro, Nami, and the three boys were standing behind her. Actually, the three boys had fainted and were mumbling about ogresses in their daze.

"He deserved it!" She shouted pointing an accusing finger at her captain, who was just starting to sit up. "I thought he fell and died, but he was only taking a weird nap!"

"My cheeks hurt..." Luffy said rubbing them.

"_GOOD!_"

"Why were you even sleeping there, Luffy?" Nami asked, much calmer than her crewmate.

"I don't know. I thought I was on _top_ of the cliff."

"AH _HAH! _YOU _DID_ FALL!" Gwenyth shouted, pointing at him again. Her anger suddenly vanished. "Oh. My. God. YOU FELL FROM A FREAKING _CLIFF!? _IN YOUR **_SLEEP!?_** AND I _HIT YOU_ AFTERWARDS!?" She ran over and tackled him, screaming apologies and nearly crying all over again. He simply asked for his hat back, not seeming to mind her lunacy. She instantly put it on his 'poor abused' head before cradling it with teary-eyed affection.

"Was the captain with you?" One of the boys asked, everyone choosing to ignore Gwenyth's insanity. (Well, the boys were absolutely _positive_ she was an ogress now, and they weren't entirely sure how ogresses were supposed to behave when not eating people. Apparently, they were cuddle-enducing, apologetic crybabies.)

"Huh?" Luffy asked, taking his attention from the girl coddling his head. "Oh, yeah."

He proceeded to give the group some very interesting information. Apparently, Luffy and Usopp overheard a butler named Klahadore, whom everyone but Gwenyth seemed to know, conversing with a very weird man. Not only were they plotting for pirates to invade the village tomorrow. They were going to force the sick mansion girl, named Kaya, to write a will leaving her wealth to Klahadore. Followed by killing her! Once Luffy finished, Gwenyth was surprised the children hadn't fainted again. But they were, in fact, screaming. She ignored them.

"So you _and_ Usopp saw this happen?" Luffy nodded, still caught by her embrace. Both seemed to have forgotten she was even holding him. "Then why was he running back to town?"

"I get it, now." Nami spoke insightfully. "He went to go warn the villagers so they'd be ready. Don't worry, they can go hide out in the hills. Pirates are generally pretty stupid." She reassured. Gwenyth made an '_ohhhh'_ sound as the children began to plan their own safety.

"OH NO!" Luffy screamed out of no where and into Gwenyth's ear.

"What's wrong?" Zoro asked calmly as Gwenyth hit the captain and stood up.

"I've got to go buy some meat before the butcher leaves town!"

Gwenyth remembered her shopping trip from earlier, and how any meat he bought would spoil without refrigeration, but she didn't bother to tell him that. Seeing as how Nami had already hit him upside the head for being an idiot.

The children ran up the hill and the band of pirates followed them. Gwenyth made note that this shoreline and the one they had docked at were _very_ similar. Almost in an eerie way. Including the annoyingly steep hillside. She held onto the back of Luffy's vest to keep herself from tripping, falling, and rolling all the way down. As there was no doubt in her mind such a thing could and _would_ happen.

Once they were over the hill, Gwenyth let go of his shirt and Nami bombarded her with questions about the shopping trip. Did she get everything? She didn't pay full price, did she? Did Gwenyth even know how to haggle? Was there any money left over? Yes? Well, where was it? The boat? That was fine, she guessed. Did she have trouble carrying things? It was all very mind numbing.

After Nami was satisfied, Gwenyth asked how the ship-begging went. It was explained that the man Klahadore had shone up and insulted Usopp for his parentage. His father was apparently a pirate and Usopp punched him in retort, which Gwenyth thought was totally awesome. She'd have to remember to high-five him next time she saw him.

"**Captain!**" The children shouted and ran towards Usopp.

"Speak of the devil..." Gwenyth mumbled, casually strolling towards him with the rest of her crewmates. Something didn't feel right about him though. Usopp quickly rubbed his face and Gwenyth's eyes lit up. She knew that move. _Has he been crying?,_ she wondered. Nevertheless, Usopp smiled and greeted everyone before his eyes popped out and his jaw fell into an 'O' shape.

"YOU'RE _ALIVE!?_" He screeched at Luffy, who tilted his head in confusion.

"Alive? Yeah, I must've dosed off."

"Don't worry about him, he's already brain dead." Gwenyth explained, knocking her knuckles not-so-lightly against the Straw Hat's head.

Luffy turned towards her, ignoring the children who had begun to shout at Usopp. "Why'd you hit me? Are you mad?"

"No. I already took my frustration out on your face." She explained. He furrowed his brows and was about to ask another question when Usopp began to laugh obnoxiously loud.

"HA HA HA HA HA! I made it all up, as usual! I got so mad at the butler that I made up a lie about him being a pirate!" The group of teens all stared at him in disbelief while the children began to complain.

Gwenyth stared Usopp down. He was lying. He had to be. Even with the confidence in his laughter, Gwenyth could feel that something was really wrong. Usopp was genuinely concerned and very anxious. This apparent sixth sense didn't give her the exact reason why, but she already knew. She knew because she had felt the same way not too long ago; he was worried about the people in his village.

The children stocked off, disappointed with their captain, and Usopp let his knees buckle.

"S-S-S-STOP L-LOOKING A-AT M-ME L-LIKE T-T-THAT!" He spazzed at the girl. Gwenyth simply blinked, deciphering what he said before tilting her head.

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"Stop staring through me like that! It's s-scary!" He said shaking.

This time Luffy tilted his head with her. "**Huh? ****_Me/Gwen? Scary?_**** No way.**" They said together.

"DON'T PLAY INNOCENT!" Usopp shouted at the pair.

"What happened to your arm!?" Nami asked suddenly. Gwenyth immediately looked down. There was nothing wrong with her arm. She looked back up and realized the comment hadn't been meant for her. Usopp's arm was lightly oozing with blood.

"O-Oh, this? It's... Nothing. Nothing at all." He said swiftly moving passed the group and heading back towards the coast. Gwenyth shared a look with her crewmates before they all followed the long nosed liar. She sped up to walk beside him.

"So... What happened with the village? Why did you lie to the kids?"

Usopp shifted uncomfortably, glancing up from his feet to her face and back again. "They didn't believe me..." He mumbled finally. "I always tell lies, so why should I be telling the truth this time?"

"The boy who cried wolf, huh?" Zoro commented from somewhere behind them.

"Yeah," He said sorrowfully, "I should've realized... Not even Kaya believed me... and tomorrow she's gonna be... be..." Gwenyth put a hand on his shoulder, trying to console him. In a way she knew what he was going through, worrying about his village and the people most important to him. At the same time, she could only imagine how it felt to be so helpless. Shouting for them to run and hide, only to be brushed off as a troublemaker. Telling people danger was coming, then being shot down by the very ones you were trying to protect.

The moon had risen by the time they reached the coastline once more. Usopp went into further detail as to what had happened in the village, but Gwenyth could hardly listen over the sound of her own heart breaking. The passion felt behind his words was just so clear to her, she could hardly stand it!

She had never been this emotional back home, nor so in-tuned with the emotions of others; feeling them as clearly as her own. Quite frankly it was scary and annoying, and she wanted it to stop. Yet at the same time she had never felt so alive. To be so rawly connected to other humans was, in a word, awe-inspiring.

Her world was one of technology. Filled with machines that brought people closer together, yet pulled the heart and humanity out of them in exchange. Very few people actually cared for others, and even less were able to cry. Sometimes, not even for themselves. That was how Gwenyth had been. She had hardly ever cried; both too proud and uncaring to ever do so.

Until she had come to this world, Gwen had been able to name each time she'd cried on one hand. Now, not only had she lost count, but she probably needed several more limbs than her body supplied! Everyone calling her a crybaby didn't help either. Even if they didn't mean it in a terribly bad way, it was still hard on her pride.

"RIGHT, GWEN!?" Luffy shouted suddenly, causing the girl to scream back into reality.

"WHAT!? RIGHT! Uh... Wait, what was the question?"

Once the situation was explained, and Nami hit her over the head for not paying attention, Gwenyth was all for helping defend the village. Usopp was giving them a quick overview of the beach and the pathway to the village. It was simple enough: don't let the enemy pirates pass the annoying slope and everything would be hunky-dory.

"Easier said then done." Usopp assured. "We'll have to fight like an army to keep them back. What can you guys do?"

"I cut."

"I stretch."

"I steal."

"I bash."

"I run and hide."

"**YOU'VE GOTTA FIGHT!"**They shouted at the cowardly young man.

"_Kidding! _I was only kidding, of course!" He lied. "Anyway, I have an idea that might work. I'll need help with some lifting though..."

"Then take the boys with you." Nami insisted, setting her self down on the steep hill.

"I can help, too!" Gwenyth offered.

"Oh, no you don't!" Nami protested. "You're arm still isn't fully healed. No way I'm letting you do anything that might push back making me new clothes even further!"

Gwenyth and the boys sweat-dropped. "Thanks for your concern. It's heartwarming. Really. So touching." She oozed sarcasm and Nami patted the space beside her. Gwenyth flopped down, resting her head on her knees in shame.

Nami waved the boys away and the seamstress muttered a halfhearted goodbye. She didn't like being so pathetic. It was just plain disgusting! She was so much better than this. Maybe she couldn't carry heavy things, but she could push them or something! Probably not one handed, but it would've been better than just sitting here; basking in her un-usefulness. She let out a deep sigh, hoping to ease the bruising of her pride somehow. It didn't work.

"Can I ask you a question?" Nami whispered. Gwenyth lifted her head, almost wondering if she had imagined it. "Gwenyth, are you... Are you really from another world?"

She nearly shit her pants.

* * *

**Oh my.**


	11. Angel, Straw Hat, Kitty Cats

**So much writing... So much reading... So. Much. WORK. **

**DAMN IT, GWENYTH, WHY DO YOU HAVE TO BE SO MUCH FUN TO WRITE!? **

* * *

"_W-W-WHAT!? _H-How did you know!?"

"I _knew_ something was different about you," Nami shouted, leaning into the alien girl for a closer look. "Though, I never would have guessed you were an angel!"

"WHAT!? _ANGEL!?_ I'm no angel, and you know it!"

"Well, that's what the doctor said!"

"The doctor?" She paused. "Doctor who? Doctor Yamata?"

Nami nodded. "He told us while you were out looking for your grandparents with Luffy. He said that you were from a city of angels in another world."

"I told them to stop calling it that..." Gwenyth growled in annoyance.

"So it _is_ true!"

Gwenyth stared at Nami, who had stars in her eyes, then looked away; filled with an odd sense of guilt. For not telling her friend, perhaps? She rubbed the back of her head and shuffled her feet before turning back to the star-struck navigator.

"_Kinda..._" She replied softly. "But I'm no angel! The people on Tabi Island just like to call it that; The City of Angels. But it's only the literal translation. We're normal, greedy humans, just like everyone else. Maybe even more so!"

Nami nodded with interest. "Sure, sure. What else? What's it like?"

"Uh... _Well_..." Gwenyth thought for a moment. "Sunny. _REALLY_ sunny. Like, 340 days outta the year, if not more. And crowded! Dear lord, is it crowded. I think there's at least a million people who live there."

"A _MILLION!?"_

"Or... wait, was it two million?"

_"T-T-TWO!?"_

"... _Possibly_ three... Hm? Nami?" Gwenyth looked over to see a dizzy navigator.

"H-How is that even possible? Three million people in _one_ city? Are you sure?"

"Positive." Gwenyth giggled.

"How do you live like that?"

"Crowded together, obviously. Though, it's not as bad as I'm sure it could be."

"What is?" Zoro asked from behind them, setting down two large barrels.

"HOLY SHIT, WHERE THE HELL DID YOU COME FROM!?" Gwenyth was ignored.

"I was just asking Gwen about her angel city. Turns out, she's not really an angel after all."

"**_EH?!_**** YOU'RE AN ANGEL!?" **Usopp and Luffy shouted together, dropping their barrels in shock.

Gwenyth sweat-dropped. "No."

"Eh? Really?" Zoro asked walking up to the girl. "So you're really from another world?"

"**_EH?!_**** YOU'RE FROM ANOTHER WORLD!?" **Usopp and Luffy shouted together again. Nami shot up and hit them, tired of their noise already.

Gwenyth nodded. "Technically, I guess. Seeing as how I've never heard of the things here and no one here's ever heard of the things there."

"Makes sense." Usopp nodded.

"A mystery angel! A singing mystery seamstress angel that's a part of _my _pirate crew! SO COOL!" Luffy shouted jumping up and down.

"Don't call me that." She deadpanned. "Anyway, what's with the barrels?"

"AH, YES! It's oil!" Usopp shouted, gladly taking the attention away from her and putting it on himself. He walked over to a barrel, pulled out the stopper, and leaned it onto it's side. "The plan is to attack 'em while they're slipping and sliding down." The guys poured out more oil from the other barrels while the girls watched from a clean, safe distance.

"How are we supposed to attack 'em without slipping ourselves?" Gwenyth asked aloud.

"Just keep a weather eye on where you're standing. It'd be pretty dumb to get caught in our own trap." Nami answered. The seamstress nodded.

"You sure came up with a slick plan!" Luffy laughed at his own corny joke. Playing with the oil while the others eyed the horizon dangerously. Gwenyth clutched onto the back of his shirt to keep him from slipping. She had no doubt at least _one_ of her comrades would fall, and she didn't want it to happen before the pirates even _arrived_. That would just be suicide.

"NATURALLY! When it comes to daring ideas and this slingshot, I have absolute confidence!" Usopp stated proudly as the sun began to rise.

"Here they come..." Gwenyth mumbled pulling Luffy into a standing position. They waited, as the sky glowed in an ominous, and agonizingly slow fashion. And waited, eying the shoreline carefully. _Annnnnnd_ waited. Gwenyth sighed obnoxiously loud, putting her hands on her hips, wondering what on earth could be taking the pirates so long. Different scenarios running through her head, some of which involved giant squids. Others booze. And a select few involving a different shoreline.

Luffy kicked the ground impatiently. "Where are they? It's already dawn."

"Maybe they over slept?" Zoro offered while Nami turned away.

"Do you guys hear that?" She asked putting a hand to her ear. "I think I hear some yelling..."

"Hey, Usopp..." The seamstress called. "I've been wondering... Earlier you said this was the only place they could land, right? 'Cause of all the cliffs on the coastline?"

"Y... Yeah, that's right..."

"Well, what about where _we_ docked?"

"**_EHHHH!?_**" The group shouted in realization.

"WHY DIDN'T YOU SAY SOMETHING BEFORE!? WHAT GOOD'S AN ALIEN ANGEL IF THEY DON'T TELL YOU THESE THINGS!?" Usopp spazzed.

"DON'T BLAME ME WHEN IT'S _YOUR_ ISLAND! I THOUGHT YOU KNEW WHAT YOU WERE TALKING ABOUT!" Gwenyth retaliated. "AND DON'T CALL ME THAT!"

"Either way, they had their meeting here so I just assumed..."

"We gotta stop 'em before they attack the village!" Luffy roared, ready for battle. "Which way should we go?"

"If we run straight North, we should get there in about three minutes. There's a pass similar to this one. We can stop them there!"

Nami suddenly gasped. "OH NO! THEY'LL STEAL MY TREASURE!"

Gwenyth followed suit. "MY PICTURE! THEY'LL DESTROY IT!"

"I'll be there in twenty seconds!" Luffy assured, bursting off at top speed. Usopp cursed the waste of his brilliant plan before charging after. Gwenyth held her arm and ran as well. She couldn't see Luffy anymore, and Usopp was in the far distance. She had great difficulty keeping up. The lack of arm usage and overwhelming emotions messed with her balance tremendously- which in turn messed with her coordination and speed.

"Damn it!" She cursed, nearly tripping for the third time. If the pirates found Nami's stolen goods, they'd find her picture. It didn't have any worth at all in terms of money, so there was no doubt they'd just toss it away. Maybe even walk all over it trying to find more treasure.

Of course, she was worried about the village as well; there were innocent lives at stake. But at the same time, it wasn't _her_ village. It wasn't _her_ treasure. It was Usopp's. He would naturally care more about it than any of the outsiders, no matter how much they empathized. Usopp was their friend and they wanted to help protect his home, but it wasn't precious to them like it was to him. Everyone had that special something that meant more to them than anything. And no matter how anyone tried, no one else would care for it the same way that person did.

For Gwenyth, it was her picture. She cherished it beyond belief. And why shouldn't she? It was one of the few things that kept her connected to Tabi Island- her _true_ treasure. Not only that, it helped link the two worlds in her mind. Reminding her that neither she nor her cousin were crazy; this was _really_ happening. This world was just as real as her own, and that time would continue to move forward in both. To simply look upon it, and see the people she'd grown to love smiling back, gave her solace.

When Gwenyth finally reached the Northern coast, Usopp was already there, spewing forth nonsense. She released her shield into its offensive setting, ready for anything. Down below were at least forty pirates, all but one with black cat-ears on. But no Luffy insight.

"That's **_my _**treasure!" Usopp suddenly shouted. "But I'll let you have it all!"

"DON'T SAY THAT, MY PICTURE'S IN THERE, ASSHOLE!" Gwenyth shouted running up to him. "Not to mention, Nami would kill you if she heard you say such things about her treasure."

"Well, what do you want me to do about it!? I'm trying to save my village here, if you don't mind!"

"I don't mind, but don't go offering things that don't belong to you!"

"Okay, fine!" Usopp turned back to the pirates, rolling his eyes. "I'll give you all that treasure, _except for the picture_, if you leave right now!" The seamstress crossed her arms in annoyance as best she could. That wasn't what she had meant, but she guessed it was the better alternative.

"Are you daft?" The only non-cat-eared pirate asked, his heart shaped sunglasses glimmering in the sunlight. "Of course we'll take the treasure. But why should we leave?"

The teens shared a glance. It seemed to say, 'Oh, right. These guys are _serious_ pirates. Damn.'

"Now, when I say 'one, two, Django', you'll step aside." The man said, showing off a circular blade on a string. He began to swing it from side to side, like Gwenyth had seen in a magic show as a child.

"Is it a trick?" She asked herself. The man was about to say the final word when Gwenyth screamed. Usopp had been whacked on the head out of nowhere and sent down reeling. "Nami, you scared the shit outta me!"

"THE TREASURE ON THAT SHIP IS _MINE!_ And I'm not giving up _ONE_ Berry!" She shouted at the pirates before turning to a head-cradling Usopp. "And what's the big idea trying to give away **_my_** treasure!?"

"I tried to tell him."

"DON'T ACT INNOCENT! YOU TRADED IN MY TREASURE FOR YOUR STUPID PICTURE!"

"NO I DIDN'T, USOPP DID! WEREN'T YOU LISTENING!? AND DON'T CALL IT STUPID!"

"Anyway," Nami huffed, returning her attention to the pirates. "I forgot to tell you guys, but don't look at that weirdo's ring when he starts counting. He's a hypnotist!"

"Ooh~ I've never seen a real hypnotist before. Coolbeans!"

"**NOT COOL, THEY'RE THE BAD GUYS! AND WHAT DO BEANS HAVE TO DO WITH IT!?**"

"Right, sorry!" Gwenyth smiled at the two, scratching the back of her head. Did she just have a Luffy moment? That reminded her... "By the way, do you guys know where Luffy and Zoro are?"

"Well, I think Zoro's a little _caught up_ at the moment," the navigator said with a sly look. "But I have no idea where Luffy is. Didn't he charge off before the rest of us?"

Gwenyth nodded. "Do ya think he got lost?"

"Probably." Nami sighed. "That idiot. Just when we needed him, too!"

"Well," Usopp intervened, "I think the two of you can take 'em! I'll back you up!"

"FUCK NO!"

"WHY US!?" Nami screamed. "WE'RE ONLY TWO LITTLE GIRLS, WHAT CAN WE DO AGAINST AN ARMY OF CUTTHROATS?!"

"I'M NOT LITTLE, DAMN IT!" Gwenyth shouted back.

"YOU EXPECT ME TO DO IT JUST CAUSE I'M A MAN?!" Usopp squealed in a higher voce than both girls. "LOOK HOW SCARED I AM! MY LEGS ARE SHAKING!"

"WE'LL LOOK AT _ME! _I'M ABOUT TO CRY!"

"YOU'RE DRY AS A DESERT!"

"THEN I'LL FIGHT 'EM!" Gwenyth screamed. "I MIGHT BE A CRYBABY, BUT AT LEAST I'M NOT A SCAREDY-CAT, LIKE YOU TWO!"

"**That's fine. We'll be right here if you need us.**" They smiled sweetly.

"YOU ASSHOLES!" Gwenyth glanced down the hill and saw the pirates begin to charge. All withdrawing their weapons with loud battle cries and smug smile's on their faces. "_WE'RE GONNA DIE!"_

"W-Wait, I just remembered!" Usopp shouted hurriedly searching his bag. "I have some caltrops in here!"

"Cal-whats?"

"Gimme, gimme!"

Usopp quickly passed Nami some small, metal spike balls. Gwenyth glanced at the objects as the navigator readied to throw them. She ducked down immediately and covered herself with her shield, fearing that she might somehow get hit.

"Take this!"

"Caltrops Torture!"

The spikes went flying. Gwenyth only knew because a number of them rained down onto her shield. She felt a drop of sweat roll down her head. What kind of shoddy aiming was_ that?_ Gwenyth was practically _behind_ them, for crying out loud! Once she heard the pirates holler out in pain, she knew it was okay to lift her shield and survey the damage.

"**It worked!'**' Gwenyth and Nami shared an exuberant high five. Both only realizing it was Gwenyth bad arm after the damage was done. She tearfully shook out the throbbing limb, waving off the over-apologizing redhead. While this was happening, Usopp took the time to shoot down an oncoming pirate with his slingshot. Childish, but very effective, as the man flew and tumbled all the way down the hill.

"Whoa... Awesome."

"You're doing a great job! Keep it up!" Nami cheered, patting Usopp's back in support. "We're gonna take a breather."

"**BUT YOU/WE HAVEN'T DONE ANY FIGHTING YET!**" Both sniper and seamstress complained. Nami nevertheless pulled Gwenyth along for a break, only to stop and gasp.

"What's wrong?!" Usopp, who had resumed firing, asked.

"There are caltrops back here, too." She sobbed.

Gwenyth shared a sweat-drop with Usopp. "You mean, you didn't even _watch_ where you were throwing them? No wonder so many hit me. Come on, Nami, you're better than that."

"Sorry..." she said pitifully.

"OUT OF THE WAY LUBBERS!" A pirate with crazy hair and pants shouted. The three teens only fully taking note of him when his caveman-like hammer slammed against the back of Usopp's head.

Nami gasped and Gwenyth gave a short scream as Usopp fell to ground. She had never actually seen someone get hit like that before. Sure, she'd seen a number of injured villagers. But that was different. She hadn't actually _watched_ the villagers get hurt right in front of her eyes; only the aftermath.

It was true that she had caused quite a bit of damage to those men on Tabi, but Gwenyth had lost herself that night. Most of the fighting was missing from her mind, almost as if subconsciously erased so she could be without guilt. She did however remember feeling indifferent towards the lives of those pirates; they were trying to destroy something precious. Living or dying wasn't important because she was protecting her home. But to see so much blood come from her friend, to see him collapse like that... Gwenyth was frozen.

"Let's go men!" The caveman-pirate shouted, proud of his apparent kill. "Captain Kuro awaits us!" Gwenyth's eyes widened when Usopp's shaky hand grabbed at the man. He seemed to notice the interference as well. "Huh? You want some more, kid? Let go!" He shouted banging his rocky hammer against Usopp's head again. Gwenyth wanted to charge him, but Nami held her back.

"NEVER!" Usopp shouted, stopping all the commotion. "I'LL NEVER LET YOU PASS! MY LAST TALL TALE WILL BE _TRUE! __**THIS WILL BE ANOTHER BORING DAY FOR MY VILLAGE!"**_

Gwenyth took this moment to burst from Nami's hold, heart pounding in her head. The navigator began to cry out for her when she bashed her shield against the caveman's head. She felt the crack before he went flying down the slope. She knew he wouldn't be standing any time soon, if at all.

"You heard the Proud Captain. So **_piss the fuck off._**" She said dangerously.

"Blasted wench!" Another, faster pirate with a sword shouted charging at her. Gwenyth dodged and scurried up the slope in a hurried motion, not noticing Nami come to her defense; slamming her rod relentlessly against the back of the swordsman's head.

"You'll pay for that!" A large, round pirate threw his sword down on the navigator. She blocked it, but he simply used the force to smash her into the cliffside.

"NAMI!" Gwenyth screamed.

"FOOLS!" The weirdo captain bellowed. "Forget about them! If we don't sack the village soon, Captain Kuro will cut _all_ our throats! DON'T YOU UNDERSTAND THAT!?"

Gwenyth felt the entire air around the pirates change. They no longer held that badass, cut-throat ego from before. No. They had turned into fearful kittens. Each and every one of them terrified by the thought of facing their mother's claws.

"HURRY!"

"TO THE VILLAGE, QUICK!"

All of the pirates began to run up the hill. Gwenyth stood at the top still trying to process of the sudden change in attitude. They weren't running into battle. They were running _from_ death. From their captain's anger like fearful children, tails between their legs. The blonde quickly came back into the moment. Nami and Usopp were down. She was the only thing protecting the village now. Even though Usopp was trying to grab at their legs, it wasn't enough.

The few faster pirates came upon her, perfectly ready to bypass her without a fight. As if she would let them. With the brim of her shield leveled horizontally, Gwenyth did a quick, powerful spin; keeping herself heavily grounded. The rim slammed against and into several pirates, all of whom fell back. Knocking a few of their comrades over in the process, some of which fell back to the bottom of the hill. Though, not as many as Gwenyth would have liked.

Another, larger wave of brutes came at her. She heard Usopp shouting something, but she was focused on a single, air-born pirate's battle cry. His blade above his head, ready to be brought down upon Gwenyth's. She screamed and dropped to her knees, readying her shield for the blow. There was way too many of them!

"PLEASE STOP! _PLEASE! __**DON'T MASSACRE MY PEOPLE!**__" _Usopp bawled at the top of his lungs. Gwenyth began to sob from the intensity piercing into her own heart.

She braced herself for the attack, shaking from the tears, but it never came. In fact, the pirates should have passed her by now. Blinking away her blurry vision, Gwenyth peeked past her shield. All of the pirates, _all of them_, were flying back down the slope. None of them seemed to know what had happened. Gwenyth sniffed and blinked in confusion before turning her head around. The cat-eared pirates began to scream about demons as her captain and crewmate entered the scene. And, _boy_, did they look _pisssssssssssssed_...

"What was _that_?" Zoro questioned, absolutely livid.

"How should I know? I'm in a bad mood!" An equally angry Luffy replied.

Gwenyth blinked and sniffed again, though she had already stopped crying. She had never seen Luffy so pissed off. Actually, she'd never seen him angry in general. How odd it was not to see him smiling, or at least pouting. It suddenly reminded her that he _wasn't_ a small child, but somehow a young man. Which just blew her mind for some reason.

Zoro began shouting at Nami, and Luffy began shouting at Usopp. Gwenyth was able to gather that Nami had been caught in the oil and used Zoro as a scapegoat. (Which she had no trouble believing.) Also that it was somehow Usopp's fault Luffy had gotten lost, since he hadn't told him which way was North. (She had no trouble believing that, either. Nor did she have trouble face-palming at the group's childishness.) Were these really the people she had entrusted herself to?

"Talk about a bad call," She grumbled.

"Hm? What are you doing on the ground, Gwenyth?" Luffy asked, his anger having suddenly disappeared.

"Oh, just the usual. Questioning my life choices, and all that."

"You're weird." He said hoisting her up with one hand. Staring intently at the pirates below who now surrounded their captain.

Gwenyth followed his line of vision, eyeing them as well. "Says the rubber man."

"Says the mystery angel."

"I told you to stop calling me that."

"ARE YOU GUYS SERIOUSLY BICKERING RIGHT NOW?!" Usopp shouted at them from his place on the ground.

"**We're not bickering.****_"_** They insisted, not taking their eyes off the man with the weird glasses.

"**LIARS!**" Their comrades countered.

"What's that guy doing?" Luffy pointed, changing the subject.

Nami glanced down the hill at the cat-eared pirates. "Hypnotism. He's trying to make them believe they'll become stronger."

"How'd you know that?" Gwenyth asked impressed.

"You would have heard him if you and that idiot weren't arguing!"

"**We weren't arguing**."

"WHATEVER! Gwenyth give me a hand here, will you?" Nami shouted, motioning to the injured Usopp.

"Sure," the seamstress mumbled, putting her shield back into its small, standard setting. The girls each put one of his arms over their shoulders and hoisted him up. Gwenyth could feel the strain in her left arm, but told herself it was just unused muscles finally getting back to work.

"DJANGO!"

Sudden, thunderous howls erupted from the enemy down below. The pirates, who just moments ago had been pitiful and wobbling, were jumping and screaming. Running and thrashing around, anyway to use their newfound energy. One of them slammed his arm against the cliffside. In an instant, a large crack ripped through the stone causing it to crumble and fall. Naturally, the girls (and Usopp) screamed bloody murder.

"IT _WORKED!? _HOW IS THAT EVEN POSSIBLE!?"

"THAT WAS ONLY ONE OF THEM, AND THERE'S A WHOLE HORD!"

"_WE'RE GONNA DIIIIIIIIIE!"_

"You three wait at the top of the hill!" Zoro shouted at them. "Luffy and I'll deal with 'em!"

"Roger that!" Gwenyth scrambled her way up the slope, pulling the other two with her. She didn't consider herself a coward, but she certainly wasn't stupid either! There was no _way_ she's survive a fight with those loons! She had just passed the boys when a low growl reached her ears. Curious, she turned around while Nami continued to pull Usopp on her own.

"Luffy?" No response. "_Luffy?" _She asked again, carefully putting a hand on his shoulder. Something was off about him. "Hey, are you okay?" She screamed and snatched her arm away when he suddenly roared, just as insane as the men down below.

"**HE HYPNOTIZED YOU, TOO!?" **His friends all shouted in disbelief.

"That feebleminded fool! The hypnotist wasn't even aiming this way!" Nami complained.

The cat-eared pirates were coming upon them, screaming in their wild, animalistic fashion. Luffy began to charge at them, mimicking their battle cry. He screamed something else before reeling his arms back and then throwing them forward. Stretching and hitting the Cat-Ears at an incredible speed; knocking them down easily.

"His arms..." Usopp began in awe, unable to finish his sentence.

"HOLY CRAB CAKES, BATMAN!" She shrieked. "THAT'S SO COOL!"

"GWENYTH, STOP OGLING AND HELP ME!" Nami screamed at her.

"I'M NOT OGLING!" She shouted back, rushing to help her with Usopp. Not able to take her eyes off their captain, who was now chasing the tearful Cat-Ears down the trail. The girls let the sniper down gently on a patch of grass and Nami instantly plopped down next to him. Gwenyth simply stood, totally _not_ staring at Luffy with her mouth totally _NOT_ wide open.

Luffy rushed right passed the scardy-cat pirates and completely ignored the flinching captain. He ran straight for the front of their ship and slammed into it. Gripping both sides he started pulling, making odd noises as he did so.

"What the hell is he- HOLY _SHIT!_" The muscle in Luffy's arms seemed to double and large cracks began to echo from the ship. The wood on the sides of the stempost (that's what the Cat-Ears were calling it) was splitting.

"GO LUFFY!" Nami cheered.

"L-U-F-F-Y! Luffy, Luffy! He's our guy! _Goooo~_ Luffy!" Gwenyth shouted in a cheerleader-like fashion. The Cat-Ear's were less enthusiastic- most of them crying. The girls squealed for joy and amazement while the men screamed in horror as Luffy successfully ripped the stempost off of their ship. The Cat-Ears begged their captain to do something.

"On 'One, Two, Django', you'll fall asleep!" Gwenyth heard him shout. "One! Two! DJANGO!"

Luffy promptly passed out, his super strength no more. He dropped forward and the stempost fell upon him, then slammed onto scrambling Cat-Ears. Gwenyth flinched inwardly when Luffy was crushed, but had a feeling he would be okay. Because, hey, he fell down a cliff in his sleep before, right? Just how different was that from being crushed under a stempost? Gwenyth held confidence in her logic, regardless of its complete lack in reasoning.

"Good. He wiped most of them out." Nami sighed in contentment.

"But now he's smashed under the stempost!" Usopp shouted with worry.

"He's fine. He's rubber." Gwenyth said simply sitting down beside Nami. Trying to convince herself as much as she was trying to convince Usopp.

"Just tend to your own wounds." Zoro insisted from his place on the slope.

Was that a smirk on the swordsman's lips? Possibly. The antics of their captain _were_ pretty funny. A pair of voices rang out loudly from the ship, though Gwenyth couldn't make out what they were saying. She did note however that the surviving Cat-Ears seemed pretty confident all of a sudden.

"What are they up to?" The seamstress wondered aloud.

* * *

**Okay. This is like 4,000 words. I seriously need to stop ****_now_**** or I'll just keep going and going and going and suddenly we'll be in Alabasta. Sweating our ass's off without the slightest inkling as to how it happened.**


	12. Black Cat Has Claws

**Some difficult things in my life came up, so I'm sorry for the long wait. It's shorter than the last one too, so... yeah. **

**Sorry.**

**Just a forewarning, November is typically one of the most hectic months for me, so updates are going to be a lot more lax than before. I am going to try and write whenever possible but don't be surprised if you guys only see two more chapters this month. Seriously. I'm absolutely ****_swamped_**** with work.**

* * *

"MEOWBAN BROTHERS!" The weirdo captain bellowed. "COME ON DOWN!" Suddenly, two silhouettes jumped from the ship's deck and onto the ground. The two men, one large with a thick center, the other thin with an apparent hunched back, stood before Captain Hypnotist.

"What _are_ they?" Nami questioned.

"They jumped from that high deck like cats!" Usopp added.

The group could just barely hear the captain give order for Zoro to be gotten rid of. They could quite easily however, see the brothers cower in fear at the idea of fighting the swordsman. Making excuses and shaking in their oddly shaped boots.

"I thought they were some kind of secret weapon!" Usopp said, honestly surprised.

A drop of sweat rolled down Nami's head. The one named Siam looked ready to piss his pants while his brother hid inside his own cape. Siam started to make his way up the slope, running in a strange fashion. It looked like he was starting to cry- but looks aren't everything.

"What the hell?" Gwenyth mumbled. This didn't settle right with her. She glanced back down at the fallen Cat-Ears who watched this Siam character with smug, victorious grins. Was this cat just pretending? The rest of his crew seemed pretty confident with his capabilities. "Oi, Zoro! Don't put your guard down! I think this guy's stronger than he lets on!"

"Huh?"

"R-Ready or not! Here I c-come! I'm gonna scratch your eyes out!" The brother wailed pathetically. The small group of teens shared a large sweat-drop. Or maybe he really was that weak and his shipmates were just delusional?

"A guy like that? Don't even joke! WHAT THE-!?" Zoro started, but was cut off. Suddenly blocking an attack that no one else had even seen coming. One moment the cat man was only halfway up the slope, and the next he was toe to toe with Zoro. Holding the same smug look as his crewmates.

"You underestimated me, didn't you?" He taunted before Zoro forced him away with his blade. "You fell for it! I was only pretending to be a scaredy-cat!"

"He's not really a coward!?" Usopp questioned.

"I knew it..." Gwen mumbled under her breath, knowing it was no time for 'I told ya so's.

Nami gasped in realization. "ZORO! Your swords!" The rest of her crew taking notice of his missing blades instantaneously. Of course, their own thief would notice the thievery before anyone else.

"Aw, shit." Gwenyth commented, sharing a look with the redhead.

"He swiped Zoro's swords."

"That's not good." She began to whisper. "How well can he fight with just one?"

"Well enough, I'm sure." Nami answered with an hesitant smile. This calmed neither of their worries.

Siam abruptly threw Zoro's other two swords down the hill, and Gwenyth couldn't stifle a gasp. Those were important- no_- precious _to Zoro, and that cat was just throwing them around like they were _nothing?_

"That unforgivable bastard!" Gwenyth growled leaning forward.

Nami held her back by the skirt of her dress. "Don't even think about it!"

The enraged swordsman charged the cat. Slicing him in two like it was absolutely nothing and continued towards his swords. Only, it _was_ nothing. Nothing on the blade, nothing on the man. Not on the hillside, or anywhere else. Just... _Nothing_.

"No blood? Zoro, no blood!" Gwenyth shouted, warning him as quickly as she could. But by then, it was too late. Siam was already on top of Zoro, pinning him to the ground by his arms. He called for his brother, Butchie, who lumbered over at an incredible speed. The large cat man soared into the air, ready to bring his foot upon Zoro's head.

"**LOOK OUT!**" The girls screamed, Nami holding a ferocious Gwenyth back with everything she had.

Zoro thankfully rolled out of the way in time. But the impact from Butchie's unbelievable drop kick split the earth beneath him. The cats began to ploy their next attack, giving the swordsman only moments to prepare before they jumped. Their 'claws' attempting to scratch and slice through him.

"WILL YOU CALM DOWN!?" Nami shouted at her fuming crewmate, not relenting her grip on the skirt.

"WE CAN'T JUST SIT HERE!" She raged, pulling at her dress as hard as she could. Very tempted to just pull it off right then and there, and fight topless. If nothing else, it could be used as a distraction.

"Don't be rash! If any of us jump in, we're just gonna get hurt!"

"_Zoro's_ gonna get hurt if we don't help him soon!"

"She's right!" Usopp agreed. "He can't last long against their combined assault. I'll provide some artillery support!"

"You have a slingshot, not a gun."

"_EXCUSE YOU_, DID YOU NOT _SEE_ THE POWER I POSSES WITH THIS SLINGSHOT!? WITH MY INCREDIBLE AIM, IT'S AS STRONG AS ANY OLD 'GUN'!" He shouted firing at one of the brothers. Zoro made a sudden, almost forced movement. The pellet inadvertently hit him instead, causing a loss of balance. One of the cat men took the opening, Gwenyth couldn't tell who, and slashed Zoro across the chest.

"WHOSE SIDE ARE YOU ON, USOPP!?" Nami shrilled.

"N-No, I didn't..."

"Hold on, Nami. I think... I think he did that on purpose... I think-"

"Usopp, you idiot!" The swordsman interrupted, clearly in pain. "Are you trying to get killed?!"

"I think he was trying to protect us." Gwenyth finished, in awe of his selflessness.

Nami's eyes widened in realization. "Now that you mention it... If that _had_ hit them, they might direct their attacks at _us _instead."

"Zoro..." Usopp mumbled in admiration. "This is no time to worry about others..."

Gwenyth groaned in annoyance, agreeing with the sniper. "What he _needs_ to worry about is keeping from getting hurt. _We_ need to worry about getting his swords back to him."

"I couldn't agree more." Nami said, standing and making her way to the edge of the cliffside. "You two wait here. I'm going to go get them!"

"Hey, wait! Let _me_ do that!" Usopp insisted.

"You can barely walk. Just keep Gwen from rushing into a fight she can't win!" She called, hoping over the edge.

"**HEY!**" The two shouted after her, both with a mixture of worry and busing pride. The thief dashed down the slope, feeling lucky the swords hadn't been thrown too far. There was only one, minor miscalculation: Captain Weirdo.

"NAMI!" Gwenyth screamed as the navigator was struck on the shoulder by one of his circular blades. Nami toppled down the hill, hitting the earth head first. Usopp grabbed at the seamstress's arms to keep her from running off.

"YOU PIG!" He shouted down at the man while Gwenyth tried to fight him off.

How dare that man! Nami was her comrade! Her friend! Her... what was the word Luffy had used? Her... Her nakama? Yes, her nakama! That's what she was! Gwenyth swore to god, heaven, and the devil himself, if Nami didn't get up that man wouldn't live to see another day. Even if it meant dying herself!

She raged against Usopp's hold, thrashing about madly. She didn't want to hurt him, but _GOD DAMN IT_ this was no time for her to be sitting things out! Suddenly, the air changed again and the weirdo captain screeched in fear- grinding Gwenyth's tantrum to an absolute halt.

She watched his face contort with horror, then turned to the trembling, muttering Cat-Ears, and finally to the frozen-in-fear cat brothers. Finding it very odd that she couldn't feel any of their emotions. For once, it seemed Gwenyth was only aware of herself. Which, after being so seemingly connected to others, felt very strange and lonesome. They _looked_ scared, but all she could feel was the sense of impending doom and rage she had held moments ago. It honestly felt too large to be her own, not to mention she had calmed down immensely, but she didn't know where else it could be coming from.

"It's long past dawn," Gwenyth jumped at the new voice. She turned to see a very sinister looking man. "You seem to be having trouble following my plan... WHAT IN NEPTUNE'S NAME IS GOING ON!?"

She flinched. At that moment, Gwenyth knew why she couldn't feel the Cat Crew's fear. The sheer size and intensity of this man's rage and thirst for revenge obstructed her from all surrounding emotions. Swelling and suffocating the air with his immense toxicity. The atmosphere was so heavy to her that Gwenyth wondered how she was even able to breathe.

Noting that Usopp had let her go, she quickly released her shield back into it's offensive setting. Instead of listening to him insult the Cat-Ears, she dug for information.

"Okay, so, this is that Klahadore person, right?" She whispered to Usopp who nodded.

"That's what we've been calling him here. We all thought he was just a marooned sailor, but he's really an infamous pirate named Kuro. Everyone thought he was executed a couple years ago, but..."

"Apparently not." She finished for him.

He nodded again. "He's the _real_ captain of the Black Cats."

"The Cat-Ears down there?" He nodded and they watched an interesting sight develop.

The cat brothers seemed to be standing up to this 'Captain Kuro'. The hypnotist and the end of the hill demanded they stop, but his shouts were ignored. He was only their phony captain, anyway, right? Gwenyth wondered if any of that really mattered to the crew; who they followed, who they didn't. It would have greatly mattered to her. She wondered which one they were more loyal to: weirdo or scary-face? For Siam and Butchie, it was obviously not scary-face.

"They're gonna mutiny?" Usopp asked breathless. The two teens hardly blinking in anticipation.

"Can you blame them? _I'd_ mutiny if someone insulted _my_ skills like that after... How long did you say? Three years?"

"I guess," Usopp murmured, neither of them looking away from the fight about to unfold. "But still, Kuro was one of the most feared pirates on the sea. Some even said he was the most evil of all the world's geniuses. _I_ wouldn't mutiny against that guy, no matter _how_ long it's been."

"You wouldn't mutiny against a _potato_ if it had _toothpicks_ sticking out of it."

"WHAT KIND OF POTATOES EXIST IN YOUR WORLD!?"

"The kind I'm not afraid to mutiny against." She joked with a grin before returning her attention to the brawl-to-be. "Hey, wait... Where's-?"

"_Who_ are you going to kill?" Kuro The Creepy said from behind the cat brothers.

"H-How did he get there?" Usopp questioned. Gwenyth shook her head, equally worriedly, before glancing down the hill. Thankfully, Nami was sitting up. The blonde let out a sigh of relief. One less thing to fret over. Though they would have to treat that wound once this whole mess was finished. Which reminded Gwenyth that she hadn't changed her wrappings today. She shook her head viciously, trying to bring herself back into the moment.

The brothers turned around to face him, but the psycho pirating butler simply appeared behind them and draped his arms over their shoulders. Almost like they were chums, only Kuro _obviously _didn't think himself as low as them. In his mind, he was quite clearly better than his former crewmates. And as much as Gwenyth didn't want to admit it... He _clearly_ was.

"You've got five minutes." Kuro instructed calmly. As though he wasn't stabbing one of the brothers in the neck with his 'claws'. "If everything isn't sorted out by then... I'll kill every last one of you with my own hands."

Usopp gulped. "To think this devil's been living in our midst for three years!"

"So, does this mean we're gonna die?" Gwenyth asked politely.

"DON'T BE SO CALM ABOUT IT!"

"ZORO!" Nami shouted above all other commotion. "You're swords!" She kicked them up the hill with all her might.

"WHY, YOU-! FIRST YOU TRAMPLE ME, THEN YOU KICK MY SWORDS?!" Zoro shouted in a heat before catching them. He quickly readied himself as the Cat Brothers bolted madly towards him. They gave the extra blades no mind. To them, it seemed, the swordsman's skill set was the same regardless of the weapons he possessed. Silly little kittens were about to face the tiger's true potential.

One strike sent the cats flying. The blood that had been missing before was in plentiful supply this time around. Everyone was rendered speechless and without motion for a small moment. It was broken by a cheering seamstress, who was shouting out praise and jumping up & down like a small child. Others began to shout as well, out of disbelief. Zoro and Kuro were in the middle of a stare down when Butchie pulled himself up and crawled over to Django. Begging for strength.

"Zoro! Fatso's up and at 'em!" Gwenyth shouted moments before the larger brother roared with insanity. "What a scary beast..." She mumbled before eying the weirdo 'captain'. Who would have thought hypnosis would be such a powerful weapon? _Only someone so strange would be able to think of it_, she mused.

He cursed about something and threw one of his bladed rings towards the ship. Gwenyth's eyes landed on his target and gasped. The rings were headed straight for Nami!

Before anyone realized what was happening, and could try to stop her, Gwenyth jumped from the patch of grass and onto the slope. With her shield at the ready, she charged the occupied hypnotist. Someone called for Nami to duck. Gwenyth turned the shield vertical and made a quick, powerful spin. The center of her shield thrashed into the man, sending him crashing to the ground.

Gwenyth cursed. Django saw her coming and covered himself. She had been hoping to bash his brains in, but had hit his torso instead. The bastard. He was coughing and cursing in a swashbuckling way; working his way to standing back up. Which was _not_ what she had wanted. _At all._

"NAMI, YOU CREEP!" she heard Luffy shout. "WHY'D YOU HAVE TO STEP ON MY HEAD!?"

Gwenyth turned just in time to see the hypnotist's blade strike her captain in the back of the head. A number of people screamed numerous things. For some, it was over the that fact he was alive and standing. For others, it was his shoddy timing. For Nami, it was his name. For Gwenyth, it was silence. Time seemed to slow and she was barely able to register what had just happened. Unable to blink until after Luffy pulled, repeat _pulled_, the bloody ring from his head and started screaming himself.

"W-What the hell _is_ he?" She asked herself as the Cat-Ears shouted out in fear. Less than three minutes, Kuro had informed them. And quite simply they didn't want to die. The Hypnotist Fo-Captain ordered Butchie to take care of Zoro while he would handle the Straw Hat, seeming to forget about Gwenyth's precence. _An opening from fate?_, she wondered, ready to bash his head in for real this time.

"GWENYTH JONES, YOU GET BACK UP THAT HILL RIGHT NOW, OR, SO HELP ME, I'LL TIE YOU TO THE SAIL!" A livid Nami screeched.

"I'LL BE GOOD, I SWEAR!" The seamstress bolted up the slope, forgetting her plans of head bashing. Not wanting to pay the consiquences of angering the navigator. She was ready to hop back onto the patch of grass (aka the unofficial 'safety zone') when a girl stumbled uneasily out of the forest. Her hair was a soft blonde, both lighter and shorter than Gwenyth's, with the palest skin she had ever seen.

The girl, who was already breathing heavily, took in a deep breath. "KLAHADORE! STOP!"

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**Annnnnnnnnnd I'm stopping here because my computer blacked out near the end of the chapter, and I currently don't trust it.**

**Ya'll better thank your higher powers Auto-save exists, cause I would NOT have rewritten ****_ANY_**** of this!**


	13. Seamstress VS Hypnotist

**I wrote this chapter over the entirety of November when ever I had both the time and energy to write. It is the longest chapter to date, and I hope it makes up for the absence. But if it doesn't, I don't care.**

* * *

Despite the fact that her name wasn't 'Klahadore', Gwenyth still froze into place. There was a surprising air of superiority to the sickly girl's voice. As if she were accustomed to her orders being followed. Though, she seemed more like a wilting flower rather than some spoiled snob. A wilting flower that had been pushed too far, the seamstress added. Sensing from the girl both a raging fire and swelling woe.

"KAYA, WHAT ARE YOU _DOING_ HERE!?" Usopp screeched.

_'Kaya'? This is Kaya?_ Gwenyth wondered. Wasn't this girl supposed to be bedridden? That mansion was quite a ways away from here. No wonder she was so frail and pale looking! Being in such poor condition, Kaya was probably fighting off the exhaustion with all she had. Gwenyth grimaced. This was _not_ good.

"Merry told me everything," Kaya explained to her former butler. As If begging for this 'Merry' person to have been wrong.

"Merry? Did he? I thought I had killed him..." Kuro said nonchalantly, but a tidal wave of fury nearly knocked Gwenyth down. The fact that someone he had meant to kill was still breathing burned him in a fierce way. He was really good at that, she noted. Keeping such a calm demeanor when his emotions were stronger than anything around. The only thing about him that outwardly gave wind to his rage were his eyes. Perhaps the smallest of hints in his voice as well.

"Klahadore, if you want my fortune I'll give it to you! Just take it and leave the village alone!

Gwenyth made her way forward carefully. She listened to Kuro with a mixture of curiosity and irritation. The money wasn't enough, so he claimed. Over the three years he spent here, he had begun to gain 'peace of mind'. He wanted to stay at this village, relax, and grow old with nothing to worry about. Gwenyth walked around the faux butler cautiously, shield at the ready, keeping her eyes on him as he continued to speak.

"Thus, the pirate attack on the village and your _accidental_ demise are both quite essential."

Usopp screamed for her to run, but Kaya stayed where she stood. _Brave girl._ Gwenyth had just about reached her undetected when the heiress pulled a pistol on the man. The seamstress stared in shock, and subconsciously decided not to get any closer for the time being. She was sure Kuro had seen her inching towards the girl, but she didn't know if Kaya had. Catching the sickly girl off guard when she had a gun in hand would _not_ be a good idea.

"LEAVE THIS VILLAGE ALONE!" Kaya shouted. It sounded a little wrong to Gwenyth's ears. With such soft voice, she must not have been used to speaking so loud.

"Hmm... You've really grown up in the last three years..." Kuro spoke swiftly. Almost sounding kind. "And I've been at your side for all the changes, haven't I? Even before you lost your parents and became ill, you and I spent a lot of time together..."

A rush of dread and rage filled Gwenyth. She _knew_ where this was headed, and didn't want to hear anymore of his words. It wasn't enough, she realized. Money and this 'peace of mind' thing, were simply not enough in for him. He needed Kaya to know his deceit. He needed her to know he never cared. He needed to hurt her, rip her apart from the inside. To make up for the intense bruise that had festered upon his pride over the years. It was sickening.

Poor Kaya's heart was being thrashed, trampled, and torn to pieces bit by bit with every word. Pain was racking through her core as tears were spilling from her eyes. Kuro on the other hand was mad with a wicked sense of glee. The closer she came to sobbing, the more satisfaction and delight he gained. He shouted at her with cold, unfeeling eyes, some type of twisted happiness stirring in him as he did so. Kaya dropped the gun, shaking, unable to stand any longer.

Gwenyth rushed towards her now, and pulled the heiress into a protective embrace. Without even knowing who she was, Kaya immediately latched onto the other girl. Needing some kind of support and taking whatever she could find.

"YOU'RE A SICK FUCK, YA KNOW THAT!?" Gwenyth screamed at him, trying to keep Kaya on her feet. Intensely fighting the urge to try and attack him, knowing it would do her no good whatsoever. "Disgusting, fucking asshole!"

"As if I care what foul words come from your mouth, girl. I am simply telling the truth. For these past three years, Kaya has been _nothing_ to me but a simple pawn."

_"KURO!"_ Usopp shouted, jumping out of nowhere, ready to sock the bastard in the face. But the man had already reappeared behind him. Gwenyth held Kaya tighter as waves of worry and guilt spilled from her.

"Hit me with all your might!" Kuro commanded and someone did. The bastard butler was thrown to the ground by the power of the strike. Gwenyth grinned wildly as she watched the rubber limb snap back into place.

"IF YOU DON'T LIKE BEING HIT, I'LL PUNCH YOU A HUNDRED TIMES MORE!" Luffy shouted smiling, more than ready for a fight. Gwenyth struggled to keep the smirk from her lips as the Cat-Ears screamed in fear. A blast of burning rage flew from the former pirate captain, causing her to stumble. She had to ease Kaya onto the ground, no longer able to hold the girl up on her own.

"You okay, Miss Kaya?"

The pale girl nodded, still in obvious shock from multiple things. "Y-Yes. Thank you."

Gwenyth regarded Usopp for a moment, her intentions shinning clearly through sea-green eyes. The sniper and seamstress shared a nod. Both understanding what needed to be done.

"Do you think you can walk?" She whispered more discreetly.

Kaya looked up at her with surprise, but Gwenyth's didn't waver. She needed to get this girl out of here as quickly as possible. Not only was she the pirate's _true_ target, but it was painfully obvious Kaya had never been around an actual fight before. Let alone _in_ one. Gwen was no master fighter herself, but at the very least she had Toguchi and a couple of middle school brawls under her belt. If Kaya could walk, even just a little bit, it would make Gwenyth's life that much easier.

"I-I think so, but... " The pale girl uneasily glanced towards Usopp.

"We need to get you out of here, Kaya," He explained.

The heiress looked down. "I'm sorry. I realize now, it would have been-"

"NOW!" Someone interupted.

Much to the teens' horror, the three small boys from yesterday jumped out from the trees. Each armed with what they must have considered a 'weapon'; a shovel, a frying pan, and a baseball bat. Things Gwen would not highly suggest using against merciless pirates. In fact she nearly ripped her hair out in protest. The boys hooted and hollered at the 'smelly _butt_-ler', whacking him continuously.

"THOSE LITTLE_ IDIOTS!" _She shrieked.

"THAT'S ENOUGH CREW! STOP!" Usopp ordered. The children did as told and immediately turned their frustrations onto their captain. They started to complain about him lying to them yesterday and something about the way he smelled. Gwen was too busy chanting ''we're dead, we're _dead_, we are _so_ _fucking_ _dead_'' to hear any of it. When Kuro suddenly stood, everyone shut up. When he adjusted his glasses and they broke, Gwenyth and the boys screamed bloody murder.

"Dead! Dead! _Soooo_ totally dead!" She wailed. Kuro began to step forward and Usopp shouted for the boys to run away. They simply jumped up and hid behind the (nearly crying) girl.

"**SAVE US, OGRESS!**"

"WHAT THE HELL DO YOU WANT _ME_ TO DO!? YOU'RE THE ONES THAT BROKE HIS GLASSES!"

Gwenyth blinked, then turned to watch Kuro pass her. He completely avoided her and the boys, like they weren't even there, and kicked Usopp out of the way. Causing Kaya to gasp and Gwenyth to growl. She might be weak, but that didn't make her any less accepting to her nakama being kicked around. (Hah! She remembered the word easily that time!) After having a mini party in her head over the word 'nakama', Gwenyth stood as quietly as she could.

Kaya eyed her nervously and the children were about to question her, but she put a finger to her lips- signaling for them to stay quite. Thankfully they understood, and 'zipped' their mouths shout. She held a hand out to Kaya, keeping her finger to her lips. Once the heiress nodded and took a gentle hold of her hand, Gwenyth took her finger away and help the girl up carefully. The boys watched in confusion as the two inched ever so slowly to the forest, trying not to raise suspicion. Luckily, everyone else was too absorbed in Luffy's abilities to notice them.

Once they reached the trees, she heard Kuro give Django the order to kill Miss Kaya and the children, and leave the Straw Hat to himself. With that, Gwenyth pulled the sickly girl away as fast as she could. She was sure Luffy could handle himself and those boys were pretty fast runners, so she tried not to worry. Kaya was her main concern right now. That, and where the hell she was going. She needed to stay off the trail, but she didn't know these woods at all. So her choices were, a) lose the hypnotist and get lost herself, or b) know where she is and be found _pitifully_ easy. She chose the former, and pulled Kaya further into the forrest.

"How ya holding up?" She shouted back, not liking the loud huffs coming from behind her.

"I'm... I'm fine!" She insisted through her panting. Gwenyth didn't believe her for one second, but admired her resolve.

"Once we get a little further we can stop and hide. I just wanna put as much distance between us and him as possible."

Kaya made a small noise of understanding, but could give no other response. If she tried to speak she would have even _less_ oxygen in her lungs, if possible. Gwenyth said nothing more, not wanting to distract the girl from inhaling the air she _desperately_ needed. At least, if the heavy wheezing was anything to go by.

Suddenly, Gwenyth dropped to the floor, pulling Kaya down with her, and crawled behind a shrub. She tried to hush the breathless heiress as best she could. But at the same time, neither of them could do anything about her need to breathe. After being sick and bedridden for so long, it was only natural she'd be out of shape. The fact that she had even made it this far was probably a miracle. Gwenyth put a hand to Kaya's forehead then quickly returned her attention to the woods.

She thought she had heard something. Knowing they couldn't outrun anyone at his rate, Gwen opted for hiding instead. And, as if she didn't have enough to worry about, she was now _certain_ Kaya had a fever. _Great_. Just freaking great!

Without warning, the entire row of trees beside them fell to the earth and Gwenyth let out the loudest, _shrillest_ scream known to man. Luckily, Kaya had more self control and threw her hands over the girl's mouth.

"P-Please... _Huff..._ We need to stay... _Huff..._ quiet, y-yes?"

The seamstress nodded and Kaya removed her hands. "Sorry. I have a bad habit of screaming when I get caught off guard." She chuckled.

The pale girl smiled. "So I have noticed."

Gwenyth returned it before they stood and took off again. What an odd time to joke and bond. But, hey, as J. K. Rowling once said 'there are some things you can't share without ending up liking each other, and running from a pirating hypnotist in the woods was one of them'. Or something like that. Gwenyth really didn't have time to be fact-checking at the moment. Seeing how she was running from a pirating hypnotist in the woods with a practically dying heiress behind her.

She had a feeling she'd eventually have to carry said heiress, but she was hoping that could wait for at least a little while longer. Kaya _looked_ light enough to carry, but Gwenyth wasn't sure how much more her left arm would be able to handle. She had pretty much ignored it while the fighting had been going on, but now all the running and bouncing was causing the pain to flare up again. Just how much longer would her arm insist on being such a nuisance?

Deeper into the woods, they continued running as best they could. Gwenyth was practically dragging Kaya at this point, but they couldn't stop. The sound of falling trees was getting closer and closer. It almost felt as though they weren't moving at all, or was Django just that much faster than them? Both seemed to have an annoyingly high possibility. So when Kaya finally fell to the ground, Gwenyth couldn't help but curse.

"I... _huff..._ I'm sorry... I... _huff..._ I can't..."

"That's okay... You did good." Gwenyth frowned and checked the pale girl's fever. Damn! It was even hotter than before. She cursed again under her breath. "Alright, Kaya, I need you to listen to me. I'm gonna try and carry you, but you gotta work with me._ Okay?_"

"B-But..."

"No buts! Here we go!" Gwenyth shouted looping her arms around the other girl.

Lifting from her legs, she found her previous assumptions to be correct. Kaya was indeed _very_ light, and her left arm _really_ couldn't do this. Her nerves were screaming from the incredible strain. Regardless, Gwenyth began to move with urgency. Running was completely out of the question, so fast paced walking would have to do. The hypnotist was certainly even closer now and she wanted to cry. Kaya was burning up, her arm was ripping apart, and there was nothing else they could do but keep walking. Why was life so difficult?

"M-Miss...?" Kaya called softly.

"Gwen." She replied sharply. The lump in her throat might cause her voice to waver and Gwenyth _desperately_ didn't want the girl to realize how difficult carrying her was. Even if it was already incredibly obvious that she couldn't do this.

"Miss Gwen... Please... _huff..._ Just leave me here. I'm only slowing you down..."

"N-No way! You're the whole r-reason we're running!" Gwenyth's arm began to shake furiously under Kaya's weight.

"But your arm!"

"FUCK MY ARM! THIS IS YOUR _LIFE_ WE'RE TALKING ABOUT! I w-wouldn't be able to live with myself if I let that bastard kill you! If it m-means losing my arm for you to stay alive, then so fucking be it!"

"M-Miss Gwen..."

Gwenyth couldn't do it anymore. Her arm had gone numb with pain, and she couldn't keep a grip on the girl. She fell down cursing, taking the blunt of the landing on purpose. Kaya immediately scrambled out of her hold and inspected the girl's arm carefully. Gwenyth was completely terrified. She couldn't feel it _at all._ Was it dead? Could a limb _be_ dead? Would she have to cut it off? That would make her even _less_ useful. A one armed pirating seamstress would _not_ be the most skilled person around. She tried to laugh, but it did little to cover up the blatant tears.

"I... I think your arm will be okay..." Kaya said hopefully. Gwenyth hissed in pain when she rubbed her forearm. But if she could feel that far down her arm, that meant it wasn't dead, right? Kaya rubbed the palm of the crying girl's hand.

"Yeah, I..." She inhaled sharply, "I can feel that, too."

Kaya smiled at her and tried to stand. She wobbled and stumbled and finally fell back down to the earth. They shared an apprehensive look and Gwenyth cursed. This wasn't good. Kaya was too dizzy to stand and Gwenyth, their only hope for defense, could barely feel her arm- let alone use it in a fight.

"So _here_ you are."

The girls turned to see the hypnotist approaching. Gwenyth cursed again before quickly standing and unsheathing her knife. Django chuckled lightly. It was quite the sight; a slumped heiress, fearfully fighting off exhaustion and a limp armed teen with an itty-bitty shield. Holding a knife with what was clearly _not_ her dominant hand.

"Stay back, asshole!" Gwenyth warned. The man simply began to swing a rounded blade in the hypnotizing fashion.

"When I say 'One, Two, Django', you'll freeze like a stone! One, two-"

Gwenyth, squeezing her eyes shout and facing down, shouted childishly, "HA! I'M NOT LOOKING! Whatcha gonna do now?"

"MISS GWEN!" Kaya screamed.

Gwenyth looked up instantly and was barely able to jump out of the way. Django cursed as he fell passed her, before turning around and charging her again. Gwenyth attempted to open her shield in time, but instead she needed to block him using it in its itty-bitty stage. He continuously advanced, and Gwen nearly tripped over her feet moving back so quickly.

Her shield was too small, and she wasn't used to such little coverage. Her right arm was bleeding something terrible and her left arm wasn't spared either. But she just kept on going. Gwenyth finally stopped retreating and tried to slash him. She missed but continued to swing at him. Slowly gaining the upper hand, until it was he who was retreating. She managed to cut across his left knuckles, causing him to drop the ring he'd been using with that hand. He cursed in pain and Gwenyth took that moment to tear his right upper arm with the jagged edge of her blade.

He was incapacitated for another moment, so Gwenyth took that time to both release her shield and rush back towards Kaya. Only, Kaya wasn't where she had left her. Had she found the strength to run away? Or was she just hiding? Gwenyth was about to call out for her when a blade struck her leg.

She dropped to the floor with a scream. It hadn't as much hurt as it had surprised her. Though, not being used to an attack on her lower limbs, it stung greatly. Gwenyth watched the hypnotist approach slowly.

"You want to make a fool of me..." He started. Gwenyth blinked. He didn't seem to be talking to her, yet he was looking right at her. Not to mention, she hadn't done anything to make him look like a fool. Had she? Either way, she prepared her shield from her place on the ground.

"But you're the fools!" Suddenly, Django turned and grabbed at something in the air. Only when the two other children scream his name, did Gwenyth realize the Usopp Pirates had appeared and that the hypnotist had one by the throat. She had been so caught up in the fight, she hadn't noticed them at all.

"You brats will have plenty of time to regret messing with real pirates-" he threw the boy into a tree, "IN HELL!"

"YOU BASTARD! He's just a fucking kid!" Gwenyth shouted rushing at him. He jumped out of the way, and Gwen put the knife in her left hand.

"Kid or not-" he dodged another blow, "-if they want to call themselves pirates-" he hardly avoided her blade, "-then I'll treat them like any other swashbuckler I might come across!"

Django swung his blade at her, and she blocked it, but then he kicked the center of her shield. The force sent her through a low bush, tripping her over and causing her to fall back on her head. A shooting pain went through her skull.

As the rest of her body fell limply over her and onto the ground she felt oddly distant. As though she were floating above her body.

She laid there on her stomach, vaguely listening to the blood pounding in her ears. Feeling the hollow discomfort of her bones. Little dark circles were flying in and out of her dark, dizzying sight, and Gwenyth vaguely realized she was hungry. She managed to pull herself up, but was so out of it that she hardly realized she'd fallen back down. Gwenyth blinked and rolled onto her back. She began to slap the sides of her cheeks until she could wholly feel the sting; not just passively realize it hurt.

She pulled herself back up, returning to the conscious world. Her vision was no longer spotty, dark, or spinning and she could hear... Actually, she couldn't really hear anything. It was deafly quiet. She put away her knife before poking her head over the shrub that had initially tripped her. Gwenyth found the three children, quietly picking themselves off the ground. They looked at her and she stared back at them before glancing over at Kaya and Django. She was sitting before him and he was looking over a piece of paper.

_She wrote him the will?_ Gwenyth realized in shock. How long had she been out of it? She looked back at the boys who were quietly recollecting their 'weapons' and understood their plan. They all shared a nod and she ducked down behind the bush once more. Stealthily making her way towards Kaya.

"You promised not to kill the children or Miss Gwen." She heard Kaya plead softly.

_So that's why she wrote it._ Gwenyth realized, _To keep me and the kids safe. Kaya, you idiot..._

"I may be a murderer, but I'm a man of my word." Django promised and Gwenyth had to cover her mouth to keep herself from scoffing at him. He was a ruthless pirate, there was noway he'd keep his word. Especially since she and the boys were getting ready to attack.

"Stop right there hypnotist!" A familiar voice called. Gwenyth popped her head over the shrubbery to see Zoro running towards them. But he was far too far away.

Django grabbed Kaya's throat. "Better finish this quick." His blade at the ready.

"**WE WONT LET YOU!**" The boys shouted, thrusting their weapons into his backside. Django shouted and kicked them back. Gwenyth jumped over the bush at that moment, nearly tripping again, and pulled Kaya behind her.

Django grabbed for Kaya again. "You're one step too late- YOU AGAIN?!" The hypnotist shouted, realizing Gwen was in his way. He was about to kick her when-

"Usopp!"

"**CAPTAIN!"**

"TAKE THIS, HYPNOTIST! The marksman shouted. "Secret technique: Exploding stars!"

Gwenyth quickly released her shield to its largest setting, covering both her and Kaya. The edge of her shield clunked to the ground, far too heavy for her to lift, just before a large explosion blasted Django away from them. Gwen pressed the release button and turned the mechanism in the opposite direction, returning the shield to its much lighter offensive setting. She and kaya were now able to see the hypnotist flat on the ground and still smoking. Kaya released her grip on the other girl's dress, as the seamstress sighed in relief. She returned her shield back to it's carrying stage and made her way towards her crewmate.

"You look like crap," Zoro informed her as he sheathed his sword.

"NO SHIT, SHERLOCK! What took you so long? I thought my arm was gonna give out again!"

"No need to be so grateful," he rolled his eyes at her before pointing at Usopp, who was limping past them. "I was following his directions. If you want to blame someone, blame him."

"MY DIRECTIONS WERE PERFECT!"

"YOU KEPT SAYING EAST AND WEST INSTEAD OF RIGHT AND LEFT!"

"HOW IS IT MY FAULT YOU DON'T KNOW WHICH IS WHICH?!"

"Alright kiddies, that's enough." Gwenyth intervened, wanting to pass out. "Which way is the beach?"

"Northwest of here." Usopp answered simply. Gwenyth blinked at him and he sighed before pointing behind her. "That way. But I need to talk to my crew before I head back, so I'll meet up with you guys later."

She nodded and thanked him before walking off with Zoro, who was tying his bandana back onto his arm. Gwen pulled a few twigs out of her hair and inspected her dress for tears as she brushed off the dirt. Finally, she checked her no-longer-bleeding wounds, which were more like scratches than anything else. She wondered if Nami would be angry with her.

"You're arm looks like it's moving better," Zoro mentioned out of the blue.

Gwen looked up at him, "You think so?" She asked hopefully before stretching it out and moving it around. It was still a little sore, maybe even more now than before all the fighting, but it didn't hinder her at all. She could move it swiftly and easily without strain.

Gwenyth began to jump up and down, smiling like a little kid. "It's better! It's better! It still hurts a little, but I can move it really good! WHOO HOO!" She didn't understand how that was at all possible, but she didn't care. This meant she wasn't useless anymore!

Zoro grinned and chuckled lightly at the girl's antics. The trees began to lessen as the slope came into view. Gwenyth skipped towards it, humming loudly, and then carefully made her way down, taking in the scene. The hill seemed to be in even more shambles than when she had left. However, all of the Cat Ears were gone, including their ship.

Luffy was laying on his back looking up at the sky and Nami was sitting beside him, cuddling a bag of money like it was her baby. Gwenyth carefully made her way down the demolished hillside, Zoro somewhere behind her.

"Hey guys!" She called out, gaining their attention.

"What happened to _you?_" Nami asked, almost in disbelief.

"My arm went limp and I got in a fight."

"_WHAT!?" _The navigator shrieked, ready to jump.

"Don't worry, don't worry! Look!" Gwenyth made her way down to the redhead, moving her left arm up, down, and all around. "It barely even hurts anymore!"

Nami lightly grabbed the arm and inspected the seamstress herself. The few cuts on her left arm were sealed over with dried blood. Same with her right. Her dress was dirty and torn in a few places, and leaves were sticking out from her golden hair. But she had a huge, childlike grin on her face that the navigator couldn't bring herself to scold.

Nami sighed. "Alright, fine. But let me get that stuff out of your hair."

Gwenyth sat down in front her and let her pick out whatever it was that had ended up in her hair. The two went back and forth, asking about what had happened to each other. According to Nami, Luffy and Kuro had really gotten into, though she was too busy stealing treasure to see the whole thing. Gwen told her how she thought Kaya was going to die while they were running, but strategically left out the part about carrying said heiress. That would have gotten her hit for sure.

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**Okay. I have finals this week and next week, and I need to make gifts for people before the holiday break, so an update is out of the question until like... Christmas. But afterwards I should be completely free to write whenever I want until February... So... Yeah. **

**Happy holidays guys! :)**


	14. Tis a Goat

**Howdy Bros. **

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Gwenyth blinked from an unfulfilling sleep and looked up at the redhead shaking her shoulders. Her eyelids were heavy and a dizzy feeling made it hard to keep herself steady. Once she was sure she was awake, Nami told her they were going to go eat. Gwenyth managed to lift herself up and make her way up the slope. The pirates walked back to the restaurant at a sluggish pace. She could hear Zoro and Nami's voices going back and forth, but was too tired to actually listen to the words.

It had been a good long while since Gwen had pulled an all-nighter and she was reminded of how much she despised them. She could remember a sleepover she'd had a few months before she ended up in this world. Her friends had been making fun of her the next morning for having fallen asleep before eleven O'clock. Gwenyth couldn't help it though. She had never seen the appeal of staying up late, staying tired, when you could be sleeping. Not as a kid, and not as a teenager. Or young woman. Whatever you wanted to consider her as.

Gwenyth sat down next to Nami once she had slid into the booth. The conversation between the navigator and the swordsman had apparently died down, but Luffy, the hungry child that he was, began shouting for food.

After she had finished eating, she put her head down on the table to rest some more. Her head was very heavy and she couldn't believe how groggy she felt. From a painfully light slumber, Gwenyth was still able to hear the greater majority of what was happening around her. A louder sound of choking brought her back into the land of the living. She slowly raised her head to find Luffy pulling a fishbone out of his throat. For a moment, she wondered if she was dreaming, but then quickly realized she wasn't.

"I've got news for you two: normal people don't eat this part." Nami said raising the left over fishbones from her own plate.

Gwenyth stretched before rubbing her forehead. "Since when were these two considered 'normal'?"

"Look whose talking. At least I'm not from another _world_." Zoro muttered before downing the last of his drink.

"I'll have you know, I am _very_ normal where I come from, _thank you very much!"_

"_Psh_. Normal for a world of oddballs, maybe."

"Hey!"

"Anyway," he pointedly ignored her pouting, "the foods gone. Should we go?" A round of agreements went around the table, but before anyone could get up another voice caught the group's attention.

"I found you!" Gwenyth turned her head and found the young heiress walking up to their table.

"Hi, Miss Kaya!" Luffy greeted.

"Kaya, you're okay!"

The pale blonde nodded.

"Shouldn't you be recuperating?" Nami asked, being the most responsible of the group.

"I'll be fine. My illness was caused by the shock and sadness of losing both my parents," she explained. "Usopp brought my spirits up, but I can't depend on others forever. Anyway," Kaya beamed, "You guys need a ship, isn't that right?"

"ARE YOU GONNA GIVE US A SHIP?!" Luffy shouted with a big grin on his face.

"Yes."

"_SERIOUSLY?!_" Gwenyth's eyes were threatening to pop out of her skull, all sleeplessness forgotten.

"It's the least I can do after all you've done for me, and the village." She smiled, whispering the last bit.

"Does it have beds?" The seamstress asked with all seriousness before Nami bonked her head.

"Don't be rude! We'll take it, regardless of beds. Thank you, Miss Kaya."

Kaya merely laughed. "Of course. And there should be two beds in the woman's quarters, Miss Gwen."

Gwenyth, ignoring the bump on her noggin, squealed in triumphant joy before jumping up to hug the heiress. Kaya stumbled back, but Gwen kept her leveled while spilling out words of gratitude. Telling the horrors of sleeping on a wooden deck while her crewmates either laughed or rolled their eyes.

They made their way out of town quickly, all eager to see their new ship. Luffy wanted to run ahead of everyone, but Gwen kept a a stern handle on the back of his shirt. She reminded him that he didn't know where he was going. He simply lied and said he did. Gwenyth called him a bad liar with an awful sense of direction. This went back and forth while their crewmates assured Kaya that the bickering was neither new nor serious and that they should just keep walking. Luffy and Gwenyth kindly reminded everyone that they _weren't_ bickering, and stopped their squabbling for the time being.

When they reached the steep hillside, the four pirates rushed down towards the shore. A man stood there waiting for them, who kind of looked goat-ish if that was at all possible. Behind him, was a beautiful, somewhat colorful ship with a goat head in front. It was a small and cute vessel, that wouldn't be striking fear into the hearts of men any time soon. (Unless said men were afraid of goats. If that were the case, their new ship could be considered _very_ terrifying.).

"Behold!" Goat Man lightly gesturing to the ship behind him, "She's not the newest model, but I designed her myself. She's a caravel, with a jib and a central stern rudder. I present to you... the Going Merry!"

"You're really going to give us this ship?!" Luffy shouted.

"Yes," the heiress insisted with her soft smile. "Please take it."

"Oh my god, it's perfect! You're amazing!" The seamstress squealed pulling Kaya in for another hug. Though, she had only understood about 35% of what Goat Man had said.

"I'm glad you like it, Miss Gwen. I've stocked the ship with everything you might need at sea and took the liberty of having all the belongings from your previous ships taken aboard. I hope you don't mind."

"Never apologize for making a person's life easier, Kaya." She gave her another quick squeeze, "You are way too freaking awesome, dude!"

Gwenyth glanced between the boys, Kaya, and Nami, whom was being informed of the ship's workings by Goat Man, before heading for the ship. She felt the urge to explore her new home from top to bottom. Not a single room, cupboard, or crack in the wall would be safe from her curiosity. She began to climb aboard when a scream erupted from atop the hill. The blonde pirate turned to the sound and watched with wide-eyed wonder as a large ball came flying towards the them at an alarming speed.

"_STOP MEEEE!"_ A familiar voice wailed from the rolling object.

"It's Usopp!" Kaya realized with mild confusion.

"What's he up to now?" Luffy asked no one in particular.

"Is it some sort of game?" Gwenyth wondered aloud, not letting go of the rope ladder.

Zoro moved forward. "Whatever it is, we should stop him. He might damage our ship." He and Luffy each raised a foot and brought the ball- which Gwenyth could now see was a very large and over stuffed rucksack- to a halt. Their feet had, of course, landed directly upon Usopp's teary-eyed face. He managed a weak 'thank you' as Gwenyth looped one arm through the rope ladder and gave the boys a slow clap for their accuracy.

She continued upward then, and clambered onto the deck. It was much more spacious than the itty-bitty boat she and Nami had shared before. Gwenyth vaguely remembered that pirate ships in movies were usually bigger than this one. That didn't matter to her though. She could not have cared less about it's size or appearance. The ship had beds and a bathroom, so, in her eyes, it was nothing short of perfection. Besides, she figured the ship's relative smallness meant it had less weight and was therefore faster than most of the bigger ones. Speed has to count for something, right?

"Hey, are you going to stand there all day, or what?"

Gwenyth jumped before spinning around and finding Zoro waiting, a little less than patiently, to move passed her. She stepped aside with a sheepish grin and promptly plopped herself onto the ship's wooden railing. The green haired swordsman took a step forward then, only to be knocked aside by an excited Luffy. When either of them had climbed aboard, the seamstress couldn't say, but she laughed none the less.

As Zoro grumbled curses under his breath, Gwenyth turned her attention back down to the people on the shoreline below them. When her eyes landed upon the heiress and the long-nosed liar, they grew wide. Realization flashed inside her like a giant light bulb.

"I ship them," Gwen announced with an air of decision.

"You _what?_" Zoro asked with an odd look on his face.

"Ship them. I mean, _look_ at that," she openly gestured Usopp and Kaya," don't you?"

"What the heck does that even mean?"

Gwenyth didn't answer. Instead, she made herself more comfortable on the railing before singing Kiss the Girl from The Little Mermaid. In Usopp's dirrection. With _much_ more volume than necessary. She couldn't hear their conversation, but she could see them both turn lovely shades of pink. His being a darker shade than hers.

"_Sha, la, la, la, la, la, looks like the boy's too shy. He ain't gonna even try. Sha, la, la, la, la, la, ain't that sad? Ain't it a shame? Too bad! He's gonna miss the girl!_" She sang even louder than before, practically shouting at this point. "Ow!" She cried suddenly, falling off the railing and onto the deck. "Nami, what was that for?"

"Don't be rude! He's _clearly_ not comfortable enough to do something like that with Miss Kaya."

"Yeah, but didn't you see the way he was looking at her?" She stood. "They might not ever see each other again, so why not at least kiss her goodbye? It'd be romantic, or something."

Nami sighed. "It doesn't work like that, Gwen."

"It does in the movies," Gwenyth paused and started to lean over the railing. "Usopp, what are you doing?"

The teen in question looked up from beside one of the group's old, smaller boats. "What? It's not like you guys are gonna take it with you."

"Right. We're not. So, what are you doing?"

"Well, I'm gonna use it to go out to sea, of course!" Usopp answered, now equally confused. "Who knows, maybe taking this ship will ensure our crossing paths again someday."

"What do you mean?" Luffy then asked.

"What do you mean 'what do I mean'?" Usopp repeated, sounding a little irked. "I'm just being friendly. We're all pirates, after all. It _is_ possible we'll meet again!"

"Quit your babbling," Zoro ordered from beside Gwenyth, "and get on the ship." He pointed to the deck with an annoyed face.

When Usopp made no indication of moving, Gwen whispered, "You don't think my singing upset him _that_ much, do you? I was only goofing around..."

Nami rolled her eyes and shook her head. "I think he's just being dense."

"YEAH! CAN I BE THE CAPTAIN?!" Usopp suddenly shouted, causing the girls- _mostly_ _Gwenyth_- to jump.

"NO WAY! I'M THE CAPTAIN!"

"Didn't they already have this conversation?" Nami sighed. "I want to go find the woman's quarters and make sure all our stuff's there."

"Do you want me to go double-check the boats?" The seamstress offered, eyeing Usopp's attempts to climb on board with his oversized backpack. "If nobody helps him, we might be here for a while anyway."

"No, I already did," they watched as Usopp fell back again. "I just want to know where Miss Kaya put my treasure. That's all."

"Oh, yeah." Luffy and Zoro began to hoist Usopp onboard by his arms. The girls ignored his screams of protest. "Do you think I could get my picture back when you do?"

"Sure thing. It is _yours_ after all." They shared a smile before Nami promptly walked over to the boys. Seeing as their was no more heavy lifting. "If you three are done fooling around, now is the perfect time to head out."

Gwenyth watched the boys light up with excitement before turning back to the shore. Kaya and Goat Man were still standing there, waiting to see them off. The seamstress waved enthusiastically and Kaya smiled a little brighter before returning the gesture; albeit much more dignified.

"Gwenyth," Nami regained her attention, "How's your arm doing?"

"Still good," she smiled before putting her hands together. "Can I _please_ help sail this time? _Pretty please?_ I promise to be very careful!"

The navigator hummed as she looked the begging girl over. "I would say yes... but the boys already have it covered." She jerked her thumb over her shoulder, and Gwenyth could see Usopp and Zoro readying the sail.

"Oh," she looked down to her feet, feeling useless once again.

"Tell you what," Gwenyth glanced up, "Why don't you go work the steering? Just tilt it to the right when I tell you to, alright?"

"YEAH! Where at?"

Nami pointed to the door above the double staircases. "Based on what that guy told me, my guess is in there. It's a pole though, not a wheel."

"I don't care if it's a triangular cactus, as long as I get to help!" Gwenyth shouted, taking the stairs two at a time. She skipped into the room with glee. Her eyes immediately took note of the goat-headed pole sticking out of the floor. She thought it was a little bit strange, but she wouldn't complain. Though she had to wonder, was this how all ships in this world were steered? She'd never seen a turning device like this in the movies back home. Movies were, naturally, her go-to reference for everything concerning pirates, seafaring, and... well... pretty much _everything_ she was unfamiliar with. Oh, and songs. She was _clearly_ a sucker for a good musical number.

Shrugging off her thoughts, Gwenyth was preparing to turn the ship when something caught her eye. She paused and turned towards the object, not entirely believing it. The girl blinked, and when it didn't disappear she started to yell, "Oh my GOD!WE HAVE A _REFRIGERATOR! _THAT MEANS WE CAN STORE _MEAT_ AND STUFF!_"_

A loud thud echoed from somewhere on deck, followed her captain shouting, "_MEAT?!_"

"_LUFFY GET BACK HERE!_ _GWENYTH!" _She heard Nami scream.

"SORRY! I got excited!"

"Whatever, just turn us right!"

"Kay!" Gwenyth shouted back, pushing the steering device to the side. It took far more force than she had expected, but she wouldn't classify it as _too_ difficult. She held it there, sticking out her tongue with concentration, until Nami gave her the all clear.

Gwenyth straightened the rod before letting out a great, big yawn. Her arms stretched up towards the ceiling, trying to fight the urge to lie down and take a nap. She took a seat at the table in the center of the room, only just realizing it was there. Again, she thought of resting her head and closing her eyes for just a minute.

"MEAT!"

"HOLY CHRIST ON A CHEESECAKE!" Gwenyth screamed, falling off the chair. The back of her head collided with the floor and she gave yet another curse.

"Hey, Gwen! Boy, you sure do like being on the floor, huh?"

The girl rose, murder etched into her face. "_You're_ the reason I always end up on the floor, _Luffy_." She stood to glare at her dumb-ass of a captain, but found herself gapping at him instead. Is cheeks were bulging- _swelling? stretching? _she couldn't tell- with food. Mostly meat. _Raw_ meat. "_OHMYGOD, LUFFY! _ DON'T EAT ALL THAT MEAT _RAW! _YOU'LL _DIE!_"

"HE'S DOING _WHAT!?_" Their navigator suddenly stormed into the room and hit Luffy in the back of the head. Thus causing him to swallow _everything_ in his cheeks. Naturally, he started choking and the girls could _visibly see_ everything stuck in his throat. They screamed; the blonde in shock, the redhead in disgust. Nami began to shout at him for trying to eat all their food while Gwenyth repeatedly slammed the her palm onto his lower back. Silently praying that she wasn't speeding up the 'death-by-choking' process by accident. With one last especially hard thwack to his back, he _literally_ spit out _all_ of the food. Most of it wasn't even _chewed_.

"Oh my god. You're like a fucking chipmunk, dude."

"Ew, Luffy! That's disgusting!"

"My back hurts," the boy grumbled, picking up a piece upchucked meat. Perfectly ready to re-consum it. Both girls screamed once again and Nami hit the top of hit head fiercely.

"Weren't you listening?! If you eat meat raw like that, you could get sick and die! Now pick it up and wash it all off!"

Gwenyth was too busy doing a fidgety "Ew, ew, _ewwww_!" dance to make comment.

* * *

**Oh. My. Fiddlesticks. This chapter felt like it was ****_waaay_**** longer than it actually turned out to be. It certainly ****_took_**** a long time... **

**Anyway, can somebody ****_PLEASE_**** take the internet away from me while I'm writing? I swear, I'm always, like:**

** 'Oh, hey, I'd like to listen to some music from the interwebs while I write. While I'm here, I might as well check out Deviant Art... Can't forget about Facebook... Man, fuck facebook. I'm going on tumblr... Wait... Wasn't I doing something?' But by that time, I'm neck deep in fandom posts, exploding with feels, and can't stop looking at kittens.**

**Anyway, just in case you were wondering why so little, takes me so long. Yeah. Well, that and video games consume my soul... so...**


	15. Serious Ship Business

**Dear guest reviewer '2 lazy to log in': ****_HOW THE SHITTING HELL DID YOU KNOW I WAS PLAYING A FINAL FANTASY GAME!?_**

**Anywho, this chapter's kinda filler-y, but, hey, hope you enjoy it!**

* * *

"Here's to a new ship and new friends!"

_"Hooray!"_

"Cheers!" The crew made their toast, knocking their glasses together with a loud **_clank! _**before taking a celebratory swing. Gwenyth however, having never _had_ alcohol before, took only a gracious sip before gaging. It was watered down, sweet, and somehow mildly burning all at the same time. She didn't like it very much, but this was a celebration. She was determined to take part in the festivities, and if that meant drinking this nasty-nast, (Was it rum, was it grog? She forgot to ask), then she'd just have to deal with it. Not to mention it was one of those drinks were the aftertaste wouldn't go away unless you had more of it. So she did. But only in tiny bursts. Watching in a mild mixture of wonder and horror_,_ as Usopp alternated between his own two cups. Just the thought of trying to finish _one_ cup was making her sick, but watching him drink from _two?_ It made her stomach churn.

"What's the matter, Gwen? You don't like it?"

She turned to Nami guiltily, "That obvious, huh?"

"If you don't like it, don't drink it." Zoro instructed from atop a barrel. "Give it to someone else who'll enjoy it."

"Well it's only my first time, so..."

"Huh? Gwen, you've never had grog before?" Luffy asked rather loudly, pausing his partying. "But all pirates drink grog!"

A giddy Usopp swung an arm around Luffy's shoulders, and gave a laugh. "No, no. I think she's saying she's never had an actual drink before."

"Wow! Really!?" Their captain shouted, leaning in closer. Staring at her like she was some new breed of bug. Gwenyth crossed her arms, trying to ignore the scrutiny.

"Oh, come on. It's not _that_ shocking," she huffed, a steady pink rising on her cheeks. "Where I come from, you can't legally consume alcohol until you're twenty-one anyway."

"Not _legally,"_ Usopp emphasized. "But I'm sure you could've gotten some if you really wanted to."

"Yeah, but I didn't."

"What did you drink instead?" Nami asked curiously. Gwenyth thought back to hanging out with her friends. It had been so long since she'd seen them. She couldn't even remember the last time she'd spoken with any of them. Let alone actually hung out.

"Um... Soda, water, juice... and milk, I guess." A silence fell on her crewmates as they stared at her with disbelief.

"You drank... _milk?_ _At your age?_"

"I _still_ drink milk. What's wrong with that?"

The silence continued until Usopp broke it, bellowing with laughter. He shrugged his shoulders dramatically before shaking his head with a sigh.

"Well, I guess that settles it. She really _must_ be an angel, choosing a drink like that over-" Gwenyth's fist made ferocious contact with the back of his head.

"WHAT THE HELL DOES THAT HAVE TO DO WITH ANYTHING!? I'LL DRINK WHAT I WANT, DAMN IT!"

"It _is_ a little strange, though." Zoro pondered, "A pirate who drinks _milk_ instead of _grog_?"

"And a pirating seamstress from another world isn't?" Gwenyth shot back. "I'm already a walking mind-fuck here, why are you guys freaking out over my milk intake?"

"She's got a point. And besides," Nami smiled at the boys, "that just leaves more for _us_."

Her crewmates gave each other a look, seeming to find the prospect of more grog to go around as a positive. Gwenyth offered her cup to the group, agreeing with Zoro's former statement. It _would_ be a waste for her to drink it when one of her friends could actually enjoy it. In the end, Nami was the one to take it. Giving a smile and a nod as thanks.

"Hey, hey, Gwenyth! Gwenyth! Look at this!"

She turned to her captain's voice quickly, suddenly feeling like she was back in Toguchi on child-watch duty. Luffy- whom she could have _sworn_ was only a few feet away a second ago- was perched, quite contently, on top of the goat head at the front of the ship. He smiled widely, happy to have her attention, before signaling her to come over.

"What?" The curiosity clear in her voice as she moved towards him.

"Look at my seat!"

"You mean the figurehead? Yeah, I see it. What about it?"

"Isn't it cool?" He nearly shouted.

"Yeah, I guess. Seems a little dangerous though." She muttered, mindlessly lifting the edge of her dress and playing with a torn piece of the hemline.

"Huh? Dangerous?" He hunched forward.

"Well, sure. You're sitting on a goat head. A _round_ goat head. Which happens to be looming over the ocean."His head tilted. _Not to mention you're like a little kid trapped in a stretchy teenager's body,_ she thought to herself.

He nodded, still not getting it. "Right. So?"

"So what if you get excited and slip and fall overboard or something?"

"Then Zoro will save me," he laughed, smiling wildly again.

She cocked her head to the side. "Zoro? Why can't you save yourself?"

"Can't swim. I sink like a rock," he answered cheerfully.

Gwenyth's eyes widened. "_Seriously?"_ He nodded, causing her to scoff in disbelief._ "_And you think it's a good idea to sit where you're sitting? _Over the ocean?"_

"Yep. I don't see a problem with it."

Gwenyth blinked at him. Was he really for real? Sometimes she wondered how much of his stupidity was intentional and how much of it was pure, bonafide brain damage. She shook her head, turning from the idiot. Subtly wondering if his dumb-assery was contagious. Walking away, she noticed a hole in her leggings, and began to wonder about it's origins. Then she wondered where her sewing supplies had been put. _Then_ she wondered where the illustrious bed of her dreams was located. Hell, it could have been made of wool and hay and she'd still praise the high heavens. A bed is a bed is a bed, as they say. Or at least, that's what Gwenyth said. But after a week of sleeping on a hard, wooden floor without so much as a pillow, exposed to the cool night air, could anyone _really, REALLY,_ blame her?

After a quick Q&A with Nami, who somehow seemed to know more about the ship's layout than anyone, Gwen headed through a doorway and into a new room. It was a storage of some kind, she supposed. Stacks of barrels, all tied down and on their sides, cannons on either side of the ship, a cabinet (which, upon further inspection, happened to be full of food), a few crates in the far corner, and two more doors. Well, _one_ was a door. The other was a... Well, _technically_, it was also a door, but it was on the floor instead of a wall. Gwenyth wasn't sure whether to call it a trapdoor or _what_. Regardless, it was still technically a door. A floor-door. A door of the floor. Oh, yeah.

She opened the boring upright door and found herself in the bathroom. With a giddy squeal, she began bouncing in place. It had been too long since she'd had a good, long shower. But before she could throw herself into heavenly cleanliness, she'd need to find a change of clothes. Which required her finding the woman's quarters.

Gwenyth stepped back into the storage room and glanced back to the boxes of unknown contents. She strolled over to the closest one, counting five in all. Curiously, yet carefully, she opened the wooden crate to find two more boxes, stacked on top of each other. A smile found it's way onto her lips as she realized they were the supplies from Maaya's shop. She searched the rest of the five crates and found the rest of her patterns, books, and fabrics safely in place.

Content with the finding of her sewing equipment, Gwenyth continued her search for the girls' bedroom. She lifted the floor-door-hatch-thing-whatever and came face to face with descending stairs.

"Funny," she mumbled to herself. "I didn't think ships had basements."

Nevertheless, she walked down the stairwell and found herself in a well furnished room with-

"BEDS!" She screamed. Gwenyth flew down the rest of the stairs, her eyes watering. They were so _beautiful_ and _bed-like,_ and did she mention _BEDS!?_ Because that's important. Beds.

The white bed along the further wall looked bigger, perhaps a queen size, and had a lot more room around it for stuff. She didn't know what _kind_ of stuff, but Gwenyth could bet that whoever got that bed's stuff would end up going there. A large treasure chest was already to its left, and Gwenyth could see Nami just falling in love with it.

Judging by the way it was sort of squeezed between the desk and the stairs, the second bed had probably _just recently _been put in _specifically_ for a second female. One that the original room design hadn't put into calculation. It was the smaller of the two. A full perhaps? A double? Gwen couldn't tell the difference, but it was probably one of those. Was there even a difference? She didn't know. But the smaller, blue bed had another difference: built-in drawers.

Gwenyth sat on her knees and pulled out the first drawer from the box spring. To her surprise, she found some of her clothes already in there, neatly folded no-less. She pulled out the second drawer and found the rest of them, also folded. A quiet snicker escaped her. She felt a little bad for the person who folded these clothes. They'd be all bunched up and messy in three days- _tops_. In fact, with her messiness record, the tidiness probably wouldn't last the night, let alone two more.

"So this is our room, huh? Not bad. Not bad at all." Gwenyth looked up to find her roommate already down the stairs and strolling towards the bookcase on the other side of the desk. Which she, _somehow_, had completely missed. Maybe because she was so busy crying over the beds' beauty?

"Hey, Nami?"

The older girl hummed in response, not turning away from the books.

"Can I have this bed? It's smaller and someone already put my clothes in it's spaces. _Please?_"

The navigator glanced from her crewmate to the beds in question.

"Plus that other one has a nifty looking chest next to it that you could put a bunch of treasure in." The blonde added quickly.

Nami fully turned to the queen sized bed, now taking note of the strongbox beside it. She looked the bed over before sitting upon it calmly and bouncing a few times. After her quick test, she smiled back over to Gwen.

"Sure, I'll take this one. It _is_ pretty comfortable."

"HELL YEAH!" The seamstress jumped up, screeching her victory cry. She grabbed a new pair of clothes out of the still open drawer before shutting it. "Now that that's settled, I'm gonna go take a god damn shower."

Nami laughed and shook her head at the girl before inspecting the closet. Once she opened the door, Gwenyth, once again curious, peeked over her shoulder. Inside they found Nami's clothes hanging and her bags of treasure on the floor. The redhead practically dove for her goods and threw them on her bed. Gwen watched in interest as Nami double-checked her treasure for anything that might have been 'misplaced'. Knowing full well that the ship would be turned around to hunt down whoever stole her stolen Berry.

"By the way, Gwen," Nami called to the exiting seamstress. "Ships don't like moisture, so make sure you clean up afterwards."

"Um... '_kay_."

Picking up on her uncertainty, Nami sighed. "Just come and get me when you're done. I'll show you."

"Okay." Gwenyth continued up the stairs and entered the bathroom. How nice that it was technically right next to their room. Midnight potty runs would be a _breeze_. She placed her clean clothes in the sink, since there was really no where else to put them. Immediately after, she locked the door and began peeling the torn and dirty clothing from her body, letting them fall unceremoniously to the floor. It felt like she was shedding her skin, having worn them for so long. She unwrapped the bandages around her left arm and, after a quick glance around for it, found the trash bin and threw them in there.

Gwen turned the shower knob a few times, holding her hand out to test the temperature once it began flowing. The water itself was warm and inviting. Soothing away any aches or pains that she had been casually ignoring. With the conveniently placed bar of soap, she cleared away all of the sweat and dirt that clung to her body. She read the labels of the two pink bottles that had been next to the soap.

_Strawberry scented shampoo and conditioner?_, she wondered. _Must've been meant for Kaya._ Gwenyth shrugged before putting a large amount of the shampoo in her hair. She could immediately smell the strawberries as the suds began to form and moved dangerously close to her eyes.

The conditioner, like the shampoo, was used in gracious amounts. She let it settle for a moment, finished whatever else needed to be done in the shower while she waited. As she washed it from her hair and turned the water off, the strawberry scent lingered heavily. Gwenyth liked the smell but started to laugh randomly at the thought of the boys using strawberry scented hair products.

Grabbing a towel from the shelf beside the shower, she began drying herself from bottom to top before stepping out of the tub. She rung out her hair and wrapped it in the towel. Lifting her clean undergarments from the sink, she quickly slipped them on, followed by short brown leggings. Then came the dress. It wasn't all that different from the one she'd just been wearing, fitted on the top and flowing at the skirt (A-line dress were her favorite, after all.). This one however was much more simple. It was an orangey yellow with nothing too terribly remarkable about it. But it was one of the first dresses Gwenyth had properly made from start to finish. She could still remember Grandma's look of pride.

Gwenyth removed the towel from her hair and picked up her discarded clothes. Returning to her and Nami's room to find the navigator exactly where she had left her. Nami looked up and smiled.

"Well that was quick."

"Was it?" She tossed her clothes to the side of her bed before searching the drawers for a pair of socks. "It felt like I was in there for hours..." she muttered once she found them.

"Here." Nami walked up to her and handed Gwenyth her picture, which she gratefully took before setting down on her bed. "Everything is present and accounted for, so let's go clean up the bathroom."

* * *

After the quick, but detailed explanation, demonstration, and reenactment of how to clean the bathroom _every_ _time_ she took a shower, Gwenyth began to wonder how bad it would honestly be if she only took a shower once a week.

She walked on to the deck, damp towel still in hand. Nami had told her just to let it air dry over the railing, so that's what she was going to do. The less work the better. She was about to return to her room and find a proper place for her picture when Luffy, looking a bit like a lost puppy, approached her.

"Hey, Gwenyth, do you know where I can find something to paint on?"

"To _paint on?_" She repeated.

He nodded, "Yeah, I wanna paint our emblem."

"We have an _emblem?_"

"Of course! But we're not real pirates without a flag," he pouted. Gwenyth felt a sweat drop roll down her head and wondered where on earth he had heard that.

"_Soooo... _you need fabric for a flag? Is that what you're telling me?" He nodded again, this time smiling. "Then why not just say so?" She asked heading for the storage room that held all of her supplies. "Do pirate flags need to be a specific type of material?"

"No, I don't think so. But it has to be black."

"It _has to?"_

_"Has to." _

"You're so weird," Gwen mumbled to herself, opening one of the crates. She dug around through the different types of fabric. "Wait, do you even have paint?" She asked, turning towards him.

"Yep. I found it in the other room," he answered, poking his head into box from beside her.

She fought the urge to drop the lid on him by asking another question. "What other room? The boy's room?"

"No, the other one."

"_What_ other one?"

"The _other_ other one."

"Are you doing this on purpose?"

"Doing what?" He brought himself out of the box, confusion written on his face. She hadn't realized how close they were to one another while his head was in the box. Innocence shinned through his dark colored eyes and, as close as they were to her own, she felt herself turn pink. _Damn_, he was cute.

"Nothing. Never mind," Gwenyth grumbled quickly, returning to her search. "Here we go." She pulled out a long black sheet of fabric. "Go and get the flag we're using right now so I can compare them."

Luffy ran back outside per her instructions. Gwenyth folded the to-be flag up and searched the other crates for a sewing kit. Finding one her third try, she brought it and the to-be flag out to the deck. Looking up, she saw Luffy wrestling with the goat flag to get it down. She shook her head with a chuckle before putting down her kit and spreading out the black fabric across the deck. It was definitely too long in it's current state, but Gwen had no idea what the measurements were meant to be and didn't want to cut it until she knew. Hence why she needed their current flag.

From out of the tin box, she pulled a large pair of scissors and her measuring tape. _Oh, yeah. I still don't have anyone's measurements_. She mulled over this realization before checking on Luffy's flag fight. To her surprise, he was already making his way over to her with the flag in hand.

"I got it!" He said happily.

"Yeah, I noticed." She smiled at his enthusiasm. "Lay it out right here." He did as told and Gwenyth helped straighten it out.

First, she checked the material. Both were made of two different types of polyester. _One of them is probably standard and the other one knitted,_ she thought. But Gwen didn't really know which was which off the top of her head. The fact that she had been able to tell the difference at all was probably a minor miracle.

Next she measured the length of the goat flag, ignoring Luffy as he plopped down beside her. It seemed as though he didn't want to bother her work, but with his legs bouncing the way they were, he was clearly impatient. Wanting to get his pirate flag up as quick as possible. Gwenyth worked a little slower,_ just a little_, to watch him squirm and groan. She had to fight down a snicker when he started whining. Finally, and very carefully, Gwenyth marked the black polyester. Re-marking it several times just to make sure it was straight. Luffy looked like he was going to explode. He _really, reeeeaally_ wanted to have a flag already. She just laughed, telling him that she wanted to make sure it was perfect. He huffed, and she laughed at him some more before cutting through the fabric.

"There," she snipped the last lingering strands away. "The perfect canvas. What's our symbol, anyway?"

"You'll see!" He whooped, running towards a door near the front of the ship. Gwenyth, having not yet explored that room (or even _noticing_ that door), hurried after. Leaving her things to be put away later.

The new room, which she assumed was the '_other_ other' room, was also a storage. Lifesavers, swords, and a few other weapons decorated the wall to her right. Though they looked pretty basic, and maybe even a little dull. Crates and barrels were pushed up against walls, and large piles of rope sat contently on the floor. A single cannon faced the front of the ship and there were giant oars propped up against the walls. There was also a large something was in the middle of the room. Gwenyth didn't know what it was at all, but remembered seeing something like in The Pirates of the Caribbean when they called for the Kraken. She highly doubted it was a Kraken Caller, though.

Luffy was kneeling on the floor next to a mop and some buckets. When he stood, he brought up several cans of paint with him; one in each hand, another under each arm, and a paintbrush between his teeth. He said something to her, probably 'Hi Gwen', but it came out muffled. She shook her head and held the door open for him. He said another something as he passed her and she grabbed the paintbrush out of his mouth.

"You're not Zoro. Stop trying to talk with something in your teeth."

He laughed and they walked back to the to-be flag. The way he was holding everything reminded her of that one monkey character from the Mario games, which made _her_ laugh. After putting the cans down and opening the first one, Gwenyth handed Luffy the brush and watched from over his shoulder as he began to paint.

And, boy, did he _suck_.

* * *

**Oh my god, Gwenyth. How the hell do you not know who ****_Donkey Kong_**** is? I know you're not a gamer but, I mean, come on! That's just pathetic! ****_Geez_****...**


	16. Meeting the Bounty Brothers

**I went to the beach last weekend, in the middle of February. Collected seashells, played in the water with my dog, got a tan... I've never felt so stereotypical in my life, let me tell you.**

**Anywho, I was going to start writing and I went onto youtube to find music (which would somehow end up with me on Tumblr and ****_not_**** writing, as you all know) when my internet ****_literally_**** just shut itself down. Like... No warning, no "your internet went down"-thingy afterwards. Just- **_Bloop!_** Gone. **

**I think it's a sign to get my lazy ass back into gear...**

* * *

"IT'S FINISHED! LUFFY'S PIRATE FLAG!" He shouted, proudly showing it off to everyone. "I already had the emblem in mind!"

Gwenyth, whom had gathered the rest of the crew per his request, grimaced. She'd seen six year olds with better drawing skill, but with that huge, proud grin on his face, she couldn't bring herself to tell him how awful it was. Besides, it wasn't like _she_ could do any better.

"_Emblem?_" Usopp asked, his mouth and eyes opened in disbelief. "This guy's a little low on the design side."

"Or... Is it avant-garde?" Nami offered, trying not to be rude.

"A pirate flag ought to inspire terror," Zoro mumbled. "And this _is_ pretty scary."

"You guys like it?" Luffy asked. "Gwen?"

The blonde pirate jumped at the sound of her name. Like a deer caught in headlights, unable to search for an escape route. She didn't want to hurt her friend's feelings, he had worked so hard on it after all. But at the same time, she didn't want to fly that crappy excuse of a flag. They'd be the laughingstock of the seven seas! Or however many seas were in this world. Maybe she could jump overboard and pretend to drown. That way she wouldn't have to say anything.

"Your painting stinks, Luffy!" Usopp answered for her. "Let me try!"

"I'll cut you a new piece," Gwenyth quickly offered, walking back to the leftover fabric.

After a quick measuring and marking of the material, Gwenyth carefully cut through it. She handed it to Usopp who immediately set to work. Telling some tall tale about how he studied under a famous artist for a week before surpassing the old man. Gwenyth had to admit, he was much better at painting than Luffy. Though, last time she checked, their flag didn't include a long nose or a slingshot...

"**That's not our emblem!"** Luffy and Zoro said, bonking Usopp on the back of his head.

After another couple of minutes, and the correct emblem being painted, everyone started getting excited. Nami approved the newer version of the flag as Zoro compared the two.

"Let's paint it on the sail, too!" Luffy shouted.

"How?" Gwenyth asked with uncertainty. Were they going to lift themselves up somehow? Or maybe take the sail down? Was there even enough room on the deck for the sail? Gwen didn't think so.

"I'm a man of many talents," Usopp explained. "I've been drawing on walls for years."

"That doesn't explain how you're gonna get to the sail," she grumbled. "But, whatever."

Gwenyth folded the rest of the black polyester, there wasn't much left, and put her tools back into the tin sewing kit. She kept pausing to watch her crewmates scurry around. They had found some of the rope in the _other_ other room and were apparently trying to tie it in a way that could be used as some sort of makeshift harness. Gwenyth picked up her sewing supplies, brought them inside, and put them away in their proper crates. For a moment, she thought about going outside to help, but they had been doing fine on their own.

Instead she went back down to her bedroom, intent on finding a good place to put her picture. Picking it up from off her bed, Gwenyth went around the room setting it here and there, and up against walls. It would look fine on the desk, but that was more of a shared space. Putting it there might make it seem like she was trying to claim it. Same with the bookshelf. The only other place to put it was a small shelf above her bed that held a few useless, but highly decorative trinkets.

She moved said objects around, allowing more space for her picture. It looked well among the other items, but Gwenyth couldn't help but worry about it falling onto her face as she slept. She shrugged to herself. Better it fall and be cushioned by her face than fall and break on the floor.

Gwenyth hopped off her bed and headed back on deck. Just as she had predicted, the painting was going smoothly without her. Usopp was in the harness dangling beside the sail (though to call it a harness was probably an insult to harnesses everywhere as it looked more like a mess of knots and _not at _**_all_** safe), Zoro and Luffy were holding the other end of the rope, and Nami was sitting on the beam just above the sail, several cans of paint beside her. In charge of somehow passing them to Usopp.

"Good job, you guys! It's coming along great!" She encouraged.

Usopp soon finished and after double checking with Gwenyth, whom was the only one able to judge the sail from afar, the group relaxed.

Proud of their hard work, the seamstress took the responsibility of cleaning up. Taking the left over paints and putting them back in the _other_ other room (which _really_ needed an official name, because she wasn't sure how long she could keep calling it The _Other_ Other Room without confusing herself or her crewmates.) She was a little surprised at how well things were moving along. They'd gotten a ship, made a flag, and painted on the sail all in the same day. Not to mention her absolutely lovely, strawberrified shower. She wondered what their plan was now. They were kind of just drifting out to open sea, as far as she could tell. Were they finally headed for the Grand Line?

A loud, thundering **_BOOM!_** caused Gwen to give a quick scream before rushing back outside. They had only _just_ put up their flag. Was someone _seriously _attacking them right now? After a rapid survey of the scene, she let out a breath of relief. Luffy and Usopp, being the children that they were, were merely messing around with one of the cannons.

"Geez, you two," she shook her head as she approached them. "Are ya trying to give me a heart attack?"

"Hey, Gwen," Luffy greeted, "We're trying to hit that rock."

"Oh, yeah? How's that going?"

"Judging by the first shot," Usopp mumbled, adjusting the cannon. "This should do it." He lit the fuse and after few seconds another loud **_BOOM!_** shook their eardrums as a cannonball soared through the air. Not only hitting its target, but completely demolishing it.

"HOLY HELL CAKES! SO COOL, BRO!"

"**WOW! YOU/I HIT IT ON YOUR FIRST TRY!" **The boys cried simultaneously, both equally surprised. Usopp, clever as he was, immediately straightened up, putting on an air of confidence.

"See? Didn't I tell you? I always hit what I aim at. If you're impressed just call me '_Captain_'."

"You're never going to give that up, are you?"

"Of course not! Everyone knows a brave warrior of the sea never gives up, Gwenyth!" He scolded.

"We'll call you... Our sharpshooter!" Luffy decided.

"Can I call him a sniper? Or maybe a marksman, instead?"

"If you want to, I guess."

"I do. It's easier."

"'Sharpshooter' isn't hard."

"No, but it's a little weird, don't ya think?"

"Not really."

"Well you don't think much anyway, so it doesn't matter."

"If you two are going to argue over my title, maybe it should just be 'Captain'!"

"**No way, Luffy's/I'm the captain.**" They countered. "**And we're not arguing.**"

"OH COME ON!"

Gwenyth laughed at Usopp's equally disbelieving and unamused face. "Relax, dude. No need to get upset. Maybe you're just hungry."

"I sure am!"

"I already _know_ you're hungry, Luffy. You're _always_ hungry."

The rubber man laughed in agreement as they made their way up to the kitchen-lounge-area-room-thing. Gwenyth and Usopp went back and forth, trying to figure out who should make lunch. Both originally thought that _Luffy_ should be the one to cook since he undoubtably ate the most, but immediately reconsidered once they remembered who they were dealing with. Usopp told them he knew how to fry eggs, rice, and could _probably_ make something called miso soup, though he'd never actually made it from scratch before. Gwenyth didn't like the idea of being Usopp's guinea pig and offered instead.

Nami, already sitting at the dining table, greeted them. "What're you three up to?"

"I'm gonna make lunch for you guys, since you painted the sail and stuff. Do you want scrambled eggs or grilled cheese sandwiches, cause that's the extent of my culinary know-how."

"That's it?" Zoro asked from his place on the floor.

"I work with fabric, not food," she explained. "Take what you can get."

"Fine. I'll have the sandwich thing."

"Same," Nami mumbled, writing something down in a book.

"Well, if everyone's cool with it..." Gwenyth glanced at Usopp and Luffy for any disagreement, but they were busy sorta-not-really arguing over the title of captain once again. She gathered the cheese and butter from the fridge and the bread from the breadbox, and went on a miniature scavenger hunt for a pan.

By the time Gwenyth had made enough for everyone (which took much longer than necessary since a certain _someone_ kept stealing finished sandwiches), the boys had come to an agreement. Luffy could be captain, but if he ever showed cowardice, Usopp swore he'd take over in a heartbeat. Gwenyth had a hard time imagining something that could cause such a scenario, but simply accepted the notion of anything being possible before handing them their food.

"By the way," she began after finishing her grilled cheese. "I was wondering, are we heading for the Grand Line, now?"

"We probably could, now that we have a better ship," Zoro answered.

"That might not be such a good idea just yet," Nami warned them, hardly looking up from her writing. "I mean, unless you guys want to eat cheese sandwiches for the rest of your lives."

"_Hey, hey, hey!_ First of all, they're called _grilled_ cheese sandwiches, _thank you very much!" _Gwenyth snapped at her companion. "And second, I never agreed to be the official cooker person. I sew, I sing, and I make really loud noises when I'm scared._ That's it. _But back to my question, are going there now or not?"

"We need to fill one more position before we head to the Grand Line," Luffy decided, sounding shockingly serious.

"This galley has all the equipment," Nami smiled. "I'll do it, for a price."

"If you know how to do it, why were you gonna make me do it?"

"Well if they ran out of Berry I wouldn't do it anymore. So then it'd probably be up to you."

Gwenyth mumbled something along the lines of that being sexist bullshit, but Zoro's opinion overshadowed it. "Either way," he started, "that's an essential skill on a long voyage."

"Well, I dunno about _you guys_ but I'd rather have somebody who knew what they were doing and _didn't_ charge us an arm and a leg. No offense, Nami."

"Then it's agreed!" Luffy declared. "I pirate ship must have a musician!"

"**_HUUUUUH!?_**" The group collectively gapped at him before spinning into a cluster of shouting and accusations. Usopp thought he was nuts, Nami couldn't believe she actually thought he was going to say something intelligent, Gwenyth began re-questioning her life choices for what must have been the forth time that month, and Zoro had jumped up screaming that this was **not** a pleasure cruise.

"Pirates have to sing, don't they!?" Luffy asked looking to Gwenyth who, being a singer, would obviously understand his logic.

"THIS ISN'T DISNEYLAND!" She shouted, not caring that he wouldn't understand the reference.

"You don't need music to sing to?"

"I NEED FOOD TO EAT!"

"_COME OUT AND FIGHT, DOGS!_" A loud voice shouted from somewhere outside followed by loud crashing and thrashing. _"I'LL MURDER THE LOT OF YOU!_"

Gwenyth, who was coughing like crazy from choking on her own saliva, watched Luffy curiously bolt out onto the deck. Nami and Usopp swarmed to the door, peeking out the window as inconspicuously as possible.

Usopp shushed Gwenyth. "Quiet down! Are you trying to get us _killed!?_" He whisper-squeeled.

The seamstress glared daggers into the back of his head. She had been startled by the sudden voice and had swallowed saliva down the wrong tube. '_Quiet down_' he said. It wasn't like she had any choice in the matter. Regardless, she tried to keep the 'help-I'm-dying' noise down.

"How many are there?" Zoro asked casually from his spot against the wall.

"One, I think," Usopp answered, not _quite _pissing himself with fear.

"Let Luffy handle it."

Gwenyth took in a deep breath, held it, and let it out as another loud crash thrashed against the ship, making her jump and squeak. As incredibly, pathetically girly as it made her feel, she was just glad she hadn't started choking again. Zoro got up and headed for the door, grumbling under his breath. The other two jumped out of his way as he stepped outside. Gwenyth, no longer dying but incredibly curious, followed the swordsman.

"Huh?" He said pausing. "Well, I'll be... It's Johnny!"

"_Johnny?_" Gwenyth repeated, a warm, but tight feeling spreading in her chest. That was a fairly common name back home. What was such a normal sounding name doing in a place- a _world_- like this? Peeking passed Zoro's shoulder, Gwenyth wondered if she'd see someone similar to herself. Maybe in jeans with a T-shirt of their favorite band, or wearing the styles of this world, but clearly different and out of place. Maybe they were from her world? Maybe she wasn't as alone as she had thought? But as she looked at this Johnny character, who had stood up and shouted happily at the sight of Zoro, he was clearly, _clearly_ not from her world and _very_ much at home in this one.

Gwenyth's heart sunk to the bottom of the sea. She wasn't sure why. '_Johnny_' was just a name. Not a particularly special one in her world, just an average, everyday name. Hearing it had brought her hopes up for some reason. Maybe, somewhere in the depths of her soul, she had been wishing for someone to be in the same boat as her. A companion who could truly grasp what she had been going through from their own firsthand experience. An average, normal someone who'd had a relatively average and normal life before being sucked into some strange, pirate-infested world. Gwenyth almost laughed at the pathetic, lonely void in her chest, but fought against it. Feeling that annoying, persistent sting in her eyes, she knew a single laugh would lead to a storm of sobs.

"GWENYTH, DON'T JUST STAND THERE!"

The seamstress jumped. Blinking down at the navigator, two salty tears fell from her eyes as Usopp and Luffy toppled up towards her. She wiped the water from her cheeks and in no time at all she was shoved into the galley by the both of them.

"Hurry, Gwenyth! Hurry!"

"_Wha-?"_

"We need lime juice, _pronto!_" Usopp shouted, rummaging through the kitchen drawers.

"_Why!?_"

"Nami said so!" Luffy answered, moving from cupboard to cupboard. "We've got to save Yosaku!"

Gwenyth rushed to the refrigerator, shuffling through the rows of produce. Though very confused, she was happy for the sudden distraction from her emotions.

"Found 'em!" She announced pulling out a small plastic bag filled with the green citruses.

"Bring them over here!" Usopp set down two types of juicers. Gwenyth snatched up the one she _(vaguely)_ knew how to use and quickly got to work. Luffy put a large mug-like cylinder on the table and began squeezing the juice out by hand while their sharpshooter keep up to speed with the second juicer. The three cheered each other on and filled the bucket to the tiptop in a matter of minutes. Gwen insisted on carrying it out, fearing that the other two might spill the greater majority of the liquid in their jumpy state.

They rushed out ahead, calling for her to move faster. Ignoring them, she continued to walk at a slow, balanced pace. Constantly eyeing the juice as it sloshed recklessly from side to side. She moved down to where a wheezing body lay bleeding upon the deck and Gwenyth turned pale at the sight of the poor, dying man. Nearly dropping the lime juice. Thankfully, Luffy snatched the mug out of her hands before it could slip from her grip.

"It's scurvy." Blinking several times, Gwenyth realized Nami was speaking to her. The blonde was only just able to pull her sight away from the body to find her friend's worried eyes upon her. "With luck, he should recover in a few days." The seamstress nodded as Nami's attention moved to an excited Johnny, whom she told not to call her 'Sister'.

Gwenyth didn't know the person, but she was glad he would survive. It was scary to see someone dying in front of your eyes and not being able to do anything to stop it. The sudden sight of the man bleeding to death had made her already uneasy stomach flip a few more times. She quietly thanked the high heavens for Nami's knowledge of the aliment and how to cure it. Though when she turned back to the boys, whom were relentlessly pouring the entire bucket of juice down the man's throat, she wondered if he would just die of asphyxiation instead.

"It's caused by poor nutrition," the Navigator continued to explain, though Gwenyth had missed most of it. "Fruits and vegetables rot on long voyages..."

"Wow! You're like a doctor!" Luffy stood, quite amazed with her seafaring wisdom.

Usopp nodded in agreement. "I always knew you were a brilliant woman."

"THESE ARE BASIC THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW IF YOU EXPECT TO SURVIVE AT SEA, MORONS!"

"Well, that's why we have you here." Gwenyth smiled at her but it was cut short when the practically dead man jumped into the air shouting thanks to lime juice. The girl screamed bloody murder and dove behind the navigator in fear. Luffy and Usopp nearly fell over laughing, but Nami smacked them in the back of the head immediately after reprimanding the celebratory brothers.

After they properly introduced themselves as Zoro's former bounty hunting partners, Yosaku violently lost consciousness and gurgled out more blood. Which, from the eccentricity of the gagging, nearly caused Gwenyth to faint herself. She immediately excused herself, fled to her bedroom and toppled onto her mattress. Praying to the higher powers for the strength not to vomit all over her new bed. Nami came down some time later and told her they were heading out to find a sea cook. Gwenyth fell into a deep sleep a few minutes later.

* * *

**I really hate the greater majority of this chapter, so I'm going to end it here.**

**Anyway, who's hungry? 'Cause I know this nifty little restaurant we can stop by with the most charming cook...**


	17. Chore Boy & Lady's Man

**Finally! The next one! I feel so off though...**

* * *

The next morning, her friends filled her in on their plans to gather a chef. When they told her about the ocean going restaurant, which their guests called 'Baratie', Gwenyth could only sigh and shake her head; wondering what other madness this world would come up with. She spent the rest of the day gathering her friend's measurements and becoming reacquainted with her sewing muscles.

Nami had known most of hers off the top of her head and gave Gwenyth a short list of things she did and didn't like to wear. Other than a fiery burst of envy at the older girl's bust and waist measurements, the event went by smoothly. The boys on the other hand were a bit more difficult. Luffy, for one, could barely hold still. He kept asking questions and jumping in place; babbling on about this and that while Gwenyth regretted the amount of sugar Johnny had put in their breakfast.

_Zoro_ slept through the entire thing. Forcing the seamstress to deal with his dead-weighted limbs. Something for which she swore revenge.

Usopp would have been easy enough to measure, since he had the _remarkable_ talent to be both still _and_ conscious. But instead, he argued that she didn't need his measurements since he'd brought everything he owned, including all his clothes, when they'd left his village. Gwenyth insisted upon having them though, just in case, and eventually threatened to throw his slingshot overboard in the dead of night if he continued to refuse her. Needless to say, she got his measurements.

By the end of the day, Gwenyth had started and finished an oddly patterned T-shirt as her revenge against Zoro. The design vaguely reminded her of big hawaiian shirts that she often saw tourists wear back home. She'd made it with the plans of somehow wrecking the shirt he usually had on and forcing him to look like a touristy idiot for not helping her earlier. However, the swordsman was surprisingly grateful for the garment. His sincere 'thank you' made her feel like a total ass-hat and guilted away the malicious thoughts from her mind.

The next morning, the seamstress awoke to Nami's loud shouting from somewhere above deck. In her groggy state, she was only able to catch a few words, such as: "Luffy", "how", "break", "water", "idiot" and a particularly loud smacking sound. At lunch, after asking about the incident, she found out that Luffy had broken one of the water-pump-bikes. Later, Gwenyth moved Maaya's sewing books from the crates in the storage room to her and Nami's bookcase.

That evening she spoke with Yosaku for the first time without feeling queasy, which, as plain as it sounds, is actually quite noteworthy. During the conversation, he told her that most people called the _other_ other room either an anchor room or military storage. Which she immediately and ecstatically told Luffy, who thought it was interesting but didn't get why she was so happy about it. To be honest, she didn't either. The day was otherwise uneventful.

On the third day, the girls silently worked in each other's company; Nami at the desk, Gwenyth on her (_lovely_) bed. She was just finishing the first side of a pair shorts for the navigator when one of the bounty brothers started shouting. Neither understood the first half of whatever was said, but when Nami opened their bedroom trapdoor it became much more clear that they had arrived at their destination.

"-_other Usopp! Brother Nami! Baby Sister!"_

Nami scoffed. "Does he have to call me '_brother_'?"

"You're the one who told them not to call you '_sister_'," Gwenyth snickered.

"At least I'm not _'_**_baby_** _sister_'," Nami teased right back, thoroughly shutting the younger girl up.

Once they were on deck, they rushed to the front of the ship with the boys to get a better look at the restaurant. It was sight to behold. The main body was the color of mint ice cream and stacked upwards like a round, three layered cake with a reddish roof. Each story had large glass windows shinning in the sun and X-shaped railings all around. Its vibrant orange and white sails were tied up, but their strips were still colorfully obvious. The _most_ obvious thing of course, was the fish head at the front of the ship and a tail fin in the back.

Her friends made comments of awe and amazement. The blonde pirate was also impressed, but a part of her wanted to start laughing. The idea of an ocean going restaurant had been ridiculous enough, but an ocean going restaurant that looked like a _fish?_ First a goat, then a fish. What_ was it _with this world and animal themed ships? It was so strange.

"WHOA, A NAVY SHIP!"

Gwenyth's head whipped to the side. Sure enough, a larger, more official looking ship had pulled up beside the Going Merry. The word '_Marines'_ was clearly painted along the side.

"How long has _that_ been there?!"

"Where'd it come from?" Luffy echoed.

"I hope they don't blast us..."

"Geez, Usopp, turn down the optimism a bit, will ya?" The seamstress watched with curiosity and skepticism as a man on the deck began to address the group.

"I'm Lieutenant Ironfist Fullbody, Minister of the Navy," he introduced, raising an ironically ironed fist. "Who's the captain? Speak your name."

"I'm Monkey D. Luffy. We just made our flag the other day," her captain replied, over informing the man.

"And I'm Usopp," the sharpshooter added.

"Should we introduce ourselves, too?" Gwenyth glanced to Nami for an answer, ignoring Johnny and Yosaku's laughter and the snide comments of her crew's amateurism. The navigator simply shook her head with a loud, irritated sigh.

"_Idiots._"

Gwenyth continued to stare at the older girl, waiting for a better explanation, but none came. She dumbly returned to the exchange at hand as the Bounty Brothers withdrew their weapons. Her eyes darted back and forth between the Navy man and her new friends as they attempted to jump him. Returned like a volleyball by the man's iron fist, Gwen didn't know whether to laugh or freak out when they slammed back onto the Going Merry's deck.

"You guys okay?" She asked leaning cautiously over them. Hands behind her back as if their swollen, bloody, bruising faces were somehow contagious. It had happened so fast, she'd missed the entire butt-whooping. She didn't even know what had set it off.

"**A hair's breadth from death**," they answered together.

Gwenyth's brows knit together as she tilt her head. "_Huh?_"

"Are you guys weak or what?" Luffy asked from beside her. Disappointed and unimpressed with their performance.

"N-No... He's just really tough," Yosaku managed to choke out.

"If you say so, dude... Just don't almost die again, okay?"

The brothers quickly jumped up at this. "Don't worry for our sakes, Baby Sister! Your big brothers were just kidding anyway."

"That's right," Johnny insisted through a puffy, bleeding lower lip. "If we'd _really_ gotten into it with that guy, he'd be one sorry sucker!"

Gwenyth felt a drop of sweat roll down her head as she nodded. Why did they feel the need to baby her? She wasn't a little kid. She was _somewhat_ able take care of herself. At the very least, she knew who it was and wasn't okay to pick fights with. Which seemed to be more than her _'big brothers'_ could say. It was probably safe to assume Zoro had been the greater force behind their bounty hunting gang.

Nami bent down beside them, picking up a piece of paper. "What are these?"

"Wanted posters... Pirates and bounties, Sister Nami. An ugly business," Johnny assured. "I get paid for every one I kill."

Gwenyth glanced over the redhead's shoulder. A particularly scary face was grinning back at them. She heard herself slip out a small 'holy shit' at the man's face. It was a shade between grey-blue and light purple, his pupils were almost too small too see. What could be seen, looked almost slanted. His nose was longer than any normal human's, with sharp points along it. His teeth, too, were similarly jagged, as if they were used to tear a person apart, chomp by chomp. She hoped they'd never have to come face to face with this man-like creature.

She was about to ask what it was, when fear entered her heart. Fear and something else. Worry? Anger? She wasn't quite sure what the other emotion was, but it wasn't pleasant. And it wasn't hers. Nami's hands began to shake, quickly catching the younger girl's eye. The seamstress opened her mouth to console her friend; assure her that it wasn't likely they'd ever run into the shark looking man. But before the first word could be uttered, Usopp had already begun to scream.

"THIS IS BAD! THEY'RE AIMING A CANNON AT US!"

"**_WHAT!?_**"

A thundering **_BOOM!_** ripped through the air as a large, black cannonball soared straight for them.

"THEY FIRED ON US!"

"NO_ SHIT!_ WE'RE FUCKING _DEAD_!"

"I'll handle it!" Luffy jumped onto the railing, inhaling a vast amount of air.

Gwenyth heard herself screaming in protest. Just as the oversized bullet reached the Straw Hat, his body popped out like a balloon. A resounding "**_WHAT!?_**" echoed across the ocean as his body stretched with the ball's force. Then, for just a moment, everything froze. As quickly as it stopped, it started again. Luffy's elastic body hurtling the cannonball away from them **and** the Navy ship.

_Where is it-? _The ball crashed into the restaurant's red roof before Gwenyth could even finish the thought. A thick hush fell over the pirates as Luffy fell to his back, water falling from his face, jaw slack. Too shocked, amazed, and dumbfounded to really move. Just like everyone else. After perhaps a full two minutes of gaping, Gwenyth and the rest of the crew realized they'd docked. With Nami, being the only semi-functioning person onboard, doing all of the work. Gwenyth dragged herself over to the redhead in a zombie-like fashion and attempted to apologize for not helping.

After another few seconds, everyone slowly began to comprehend the situation. Luffy had essentially just fired a freaking _cannon_ at the restaurant. What were they supposed to do? How did one respond to such an _immense_ accident? Did they go in and apologize? Act like they had no idea what had just transpired? Did they raise anchor and high tail it out of there, never looking back? What was the proper edict when you blew a random hole into someone's roof? Nobody seemed to know.

"Hey!" A voice bellowed from the dock. Two brutish men dressed in white uniforms, complete with doughy hats, glared at the group.

"Are you the ones who fired that cannonball at us?!"

"I'm sorry," Luffy answered, bowing his head in shame. The men demanded he go with them and speak to the head chef, both clearly enraged. Not that anyone could blame them. They had just been shot at after all. The moment Luffy reached the dock, the men grabbed his arms and hauled him away into the depths of the restaurant.

"I hope no one's hurt..." Gwenyth mumbled once they disappeared.

* * *

After that, the shock had quickly worn off. Now everyone was sitting, going around complaining about Luffy's shoddy aim, or the Navy douche, or how long they had to wait, or how hungry they were getting.

About done with the shorts from earlier, Gwen gave a heavy groan. "How much _longer?" _She whined.

"Maybe they're making him wash dishes for a month," Zoro answered.

"Don't even _joke_." Gwenyth pricked her finger with the needle and hissed. "He'd probably end up _breaking_ them all."

"That honest fool," Nami sighed. "He should've blamed the Navy ship."

"Wanna check on him? And eat?"

Gwenyth rolled her eyes at the sniper and his hunger. "If it's not one, it's the other," she mumbled to herself.

Usopp squinted his eyes. "What?"

"_What?_" She echoed.

"Did you say something?"

"I'm sewing."

"That doesn't answer-"

"_NO!_" Nami shouted over him. "She already does that enough with Luffy! Don't encourage it!"

"Encourage what?" Zoro asked.

"The bickering!"

Gwenyth cocked a brow at the navigator. "We weren't-"

"Don't even go there!"

"But-"

"No!"

"_But-"_

"**_NO!_**"

Gwenyth huffed and crossed her arms. "_Fiiiiine._.."

"Thank you," Nami breathed.

"But Luffy and I don't- _OW! _MY FUCKING HEAD!"

"THAT'S WHAT YOU GET!"

The seamstress rubbed her head, grumbling about mean ogresses not being grateful, before reluctantly continuing her work. Crashing noises echoed from within the restaurant, along with loud, booming voices. Followed swiftly by more unidentifiable sounds, and finally silence. Shouting even louder than before started up and another loud crash made the entire ship shake.

"What the hell, dude..."

"Sounds like a couple fights broke out," Zoro mumbled just as all hell broke loose on the marine ship beside them. Alarms were sounding, men were shouting, and guns were firing.

Nami eyed a screaming navy man sprinting from the ship to the Baratie. "This place is insane," she sighed. The man's scream became louder as he shouted into the restaurant.

Minutes away from finishing Nami's new shorts, Gwenyth didn't care enough to try and hear his words. She simply stopped listening all together and blocked out the rest of the continued crashing and fighting. Turning the shorts right-side-out, she checked them over for any mistakes and finally tossed them to Nami. The redhead, lost in thought, jumped awake when they plopped onto her head.

The seamstress stood up stretching. "Are we going in yet?"

"Oh, _now_ you want to go in?" Usopp crossed his arms.

She shrugged. "Didn't see a point to stop sewing when I was so close to finishing."

"Well, it's calmed down quite a bit, so this is probably the best time," Nami informed them, folding the shorts and setting them aside.

* * *

_"Please seat yourselves",_ Gwenyth read before following her crewmates to a table. "What a nice looking place."

"I'll bet it's pretty pricey," Nami muttered, glancing around at the food being served.

"Who cares?" Usopp slid into a seat. "If this place is as good as Johnny and Yosaku said, it should be worth it."

Zoro reached for a piece of complementary bread at the center of the table. "I wonder what that guy wants."

"What guy?" Gwenyth asked plopping into her chair.

"Hey, you there," a familiar voice called. The group turned to find one of the men whom had dragged Luffy away. "You're the group sailing with the guy who shot at us, ain't ya?"

"Well, if you wanna get _technical_..." the seamstress started.

"I _don't_," the man insisted. "The head chef told me to let his crew know he's got to work as a chore boy to pay off the damages."

Gwenyth rolled her eyes. "Of _course_ he does."

"A _chore boy_?" Nami asked, stifling a giggle. "For how long?"

"One year," the man answered crossly. "No exceptions. Enjoy your meal." He set down four menus and walked away.

"Bet'cha a thousand Berries Luffy 'll cause _another_ _year_ worth of damage by the end of the week," Gwen muttered as she picked up a menu.

"I'll raise you another thousand they drop the charges by the end of the month," Zoro added.

"Why would they do that?" Usopp wondered aloud.

"To spare themselves the trouble he causes," the navigator answered with a sly grin. "They'll see it's more financially sound to just get rid of him than to have him around."

"Speaking of paying, where are the prices on these menus?" The blonde frowned. "_Crap_. That's how you _know_ it's expensive. When they hide the prices from you."

From where they were seated, the group could just barely hear muffled shouting from the kitchen. It was partially drowned out by the quiet chatter amongst the customers, but, if Gwen listened hard enough, she could still hear it. She wondered if the cooks were yelling at each other or their newly acquired Chore Boy.

By the time lunch was served, the shouts had only gotten louder and more frequent. Gwenyth was now absolutely certain her captain was somehow involved. Her assumptions were proven correct when Luffy was dragged out of the kitchen and practically thrown into the dinning room by a cook who vaguely reminded her of Popeye the Sailor Man.

"Hi, Chore Boy!" Nami greeted cheerfully.

"Ugh! You guys?"

"_Sooo..."_ Usopp smiled. "You gotta work for an entire year."

Zoro grinned. "Can we change the ships flag?"

"Excuse me, I need a refill!" Gwenyth teased, raising an empty glass of juice.

Luffy glared at her for a moment, clearly not finding the humor in his crew's antics, when realization hit him in the face. "You're eating without me?! I'M SLAVING AND YOU'RE EATING OUT!? THAT'S MEAN!"

The group burst into a series of snorts and giggles at their 'betrayal'.

"Why _shouldn't _we enjoy a nice meal?" Zoro asked turning away from his captain. Gwenyth watched in disgust and gut-wrentching awe as Luffy stuck a finger up his nose and flicked a booger into Zoro's glass.

"Y-Yeah," Usopp agreed, trying desperately not to laugh. "Why not?"

"The food's not bad here," the swordsman exclaimed, picking up his (booger infected) drink and bringing it to his lips. Usopp, Gwenyth, and Nami were choking on their chuckles by this point, (the seamstress was in fact starting to _cough_). Zoro, seemingly unaware, continued. "But I _do_ feel bad for you..."

In a flash, Zoro jumped from his seat. He threw Luffy into a headlock and forced the drink (and booger) down his throat. "YOU EAT IT!"

The three remaining pirates burst into loud, unruly laughter. They banged the table and slapped their knees, tears welling up in their eyes. Gwenyth threw her head back and nearly tumbled out of her seat. Flapping her arms and spewing forth obscenities, she caused another round hysterics. The rest of the patrons glanced uneasily at the group and whispered to one another, but this was heavily ignored.

"_O SEA, HOW GRATEFUL I AM FOR THIS DAY OF DAYS!"_ The laughter stopped. Slowly, the small group of pirates turned their heads to a loud, smoking blonde sauntering towards the table. More specifically, towards Nami. "_O LOVE! SMILE UPON ME, FOR I CANNOT SURVIVE THIS PAIN!_"

Gwenyth giggled at the navigator's confused face as he continue to make a spectacle of his love. When the sound reached the man's ears, he paused and turned to her. After a few moments of silence and staring, the blonde pirate was swept up by wave after wave of the man's apparent love. Followed briskly by her own confusion.

"_MY SWEET ANGEL FROM ABOVE, YOUR LAUGHTER BRINGS LIGHT TO MY DARKENED SKIES!_"

"Uh-I-_ Wait, what?"_

The man reached for the hand of each girl. "I would stoop to becoming a pirate," he looked from Nami to Gwenyth, "Or even a Devil, if only to be with either of you." He kissed each of their knuckles. The navigator smirked as the seamstress reddened and became even more uncomfortable. "_SUCH TRAGEDY!"_ He cried. "_THE OBSTACLES BETWEEN US ARE GREAT!"_

"Obstacles, Sanji?" An older man with a peg leg leaned against a chair.

Lover Boy's head snapped to the man. "The crap-geezer!"

The chef's unfathomably tall hat captivated Gwenyth. "Is that Doug _Dimmadome?_ Owner of the _Dimmsdale Dimmadome?_"

"_Who?_" Nami whispered back.

"Never mind," Gwenyth mumbled, highly confused as the 'Crap-Geezer' began listing the younger man's faults.

"Don't step over the line, old man! You can insult me, but don't _ever_ insult my cooking!" The younger man- _Sanji_- jabbed a finger into the older man's chest. "I'm staying right here! You have no say in the matter!"

"Grab the food," Zoro mumbled. Gwenyth blinked as Nami and Usopp complied before following suit. Not a moment after she'd picked up the bread bowl, the blonde cook was slammed into their table, successfully demolishing it. To her surprise, none of the other patrons batted an eyelash.

"YOU CAN'T KICK ME OUT! I'LL COOK HERE FOREVER! UNTIL YOU DIE!"

The older man began to walk away. "I won't die," he said calmly. "I'll live another hundred years."

"_Tch_. Always gotta have the last word, eh?" Sanji grumbled, slowly standing.

"Great! You got permission!" Luffy grinned. "Come be my cook!"

"NEVER!"

Gwenyth chuckled. _Does he ask _everyone_ to join his crew so bluntly? Do we all decline at first, as well?_ She wondered, recalling her own invitation. _I wonder if that means he'll be joining us eventually..._

"Are you alright, Mr. Cook?" She asked as he led them to another table.

He smiled pulling a chair out for her. "Don't worry for my sake, sweet angel."

"O... _Kay_." Gwenyth thanked him and sat down. He did the same for Nami before excusing himself.

"Luffy, you want _that guy_ as our cook?" Zoro asked.

"Yep!" He nodded. "He's a good guy. He fed a hungry man when he had no money."

"No money, huh?" Nami grinned, clearly plotting. Gwenyth felt a drop of sweat roll down her neck before turning to Luffy.

"Well, he does seem nice. Weird and super girl-crazy, but nice. I'd be okay with him if he decides to join."

"He will! He already got permission!" Luffy laughed.

"It didn't seem like he was too thrilled with the idea to me," Usopp mumbled as the cook made his way back to their table.

"Here." Sanji plopped down a cup of tea in front of him and the other boys. "Please forgive the commotion, ladies," He cooed, setting down a dish in front of each of them. "A fruit macédoine with my complements. Grand Marnier as a digestive for my princess, and sparkling rosemary limeade for my angel."

"Wow! Thank you so much!"

"How gallant," Nami teased.

"Not at all," he insisted.

"Hey!" Usopp shouted. "Don't **we** get any?! That's discrimination! I'll sue!"

Gwenyth laughed before taking a bite. She froze. With wide eyes she grabbed Nami's hand, quickly gaining the older girl's attention.

"What? Is it good?"

The seamstress nodded frantically, eyes sparkling, before taking another bite.

Nami chuckled and tried it for herself. "_MMMMM! _You're right, Gwen. It's delicious!"

She nodded again before offering a forkful to their whining captain.

"Don't eat the damn fork!"

"It's good!" He shouted with his mouth full.

"Here, eat these." Gwen stabbed a few select fruits. "I don't like kiwis."

"Okay!"

"Um, dear chef? This gourmet fair is a tad pricey. And seeing as I also have to pay for Gwen-y..." Gwenyth turned to see Nami caressing Sanji's cheek. The poor man was putty in her hands.

"For the two of you, it's free!"

"Hurray! My hero!" Nami hugged him around the neck, lightly pushing her breasts against him.

Sanji turned to the men. "Pay up, bums."

"_WHAT!?_" Usopp snorted.

"Did you bewitch him?" Zoro whispered, glancing at the cook as he walked away.

The redhead giggled. "You three better watch out, too."

"You are truly a master of deception, Nami," Gwenyth teased.

She winked. "_Naturally_."

Usopp was grumbling about the lady's man and wanting fruit when Sanji sped back over to the table. He lifted his leg and swiftly brought it down upon Luffy's head.

"ENOUGH GOOFING OFF, CHORE BOY!" He grabbed the Straw Hat and dragged him across the dinning room, giving him orders.

"Hey, Usopp, gimme your fork and I'll give you some kiwi."

"I don't have a fork..."

"Oh. That's too bad."

_"HEY!"_

Gwenyth took another bite. Paused. Then pushed the half-finished dish away. "I'm full."

* * *

**Hey, hey, hey...** **Wanna see what Gwen more-or-less looks like in my head? **

**Go to **** DevianArt .com and search for Gwenyth Jones.**  


**(I can't put up a link for some reason... I'm sorry.)**


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